Kalyan Das Temple

A trek through the old areas of Rawalpindi reveals many examples of old architecture: silent testimonies of our heritage narrating tales of our past, stories of our land. Unfortunately, these exponents of our history are in a state of utter neglect.

In the middle of the area that is commonly known as Kohati Bazaar, one can see the dome of a temple which is almost blinded by the high walls of an academic institution. Here stands one of the beautiful, historic landmarks of the city: Kalyan Das Temple.

Outside this building, one can see a board for the Government Qandeel Secondary School for visually impaired children. On entering the main gate of the school, one is confronted with the sight of a magnificent architectural form which stands right in the middle of the school courtyard.

This temple was named after a generous resident of Rawalpindi, Kalyan Das, who laid its foundation stone in the 1850s. The temple is said to be completed in 1880 and is believed to have had more than 100 rooms, spread over an area of about seven acres, besides a vast pond around the main temple building.

During the Partition of India, Kalyan Das Temple was left abandoned as the Hindu population left the city. The beautiful paintings engraved on the walls are fading away; the damp roof of the main architecture pours in rainy days. The rooms of the main complex are used as store rooms. The idols are missing but their marks attract visitors. The many spires in the temple complex are still imposing but 60 years of neglect has made them colourless. The white paint used to brighten the complex has, in fact, buried its original floral work.

In 1956, it was taken over by the Auqaf Department and survived as a place of worship until 1958 when a school for the blind, started by Begum Farooqi, was shifted into the complex. At that time, it had a baradari with rooms for worshippers, a pond and an ashram.

In 1973, the school was taken over by the Punjab government. A new building was erected for the school in 1986 during the time of General Ziaul Haq and the original buildings surrounding the temple, the rooms and the pond were demolished.

The security guard at the school’s gate said that Muslims vandalised the temple at the time of Partition. In 1992, in the wake of the demolition of the historic Babri Mosque in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh), when several Hindu temples where demolished across Pakistan, luckily the school administration prevented this temple from meeting the same fate.

“It’s our national heritage and we should preserve it,” the security guard asserted. According to him, some people in the school’s administration are thinking of demolishing the temple to increase space for the school.

The Punjab government has constructed some new rooms and hostels for the visually impaired students and despite its decaying condition, the temple is still better preserved than others. Kalyan Das would not be annoyed with us, seeing this magnificent building being used to provide shelter to visually impaired children.

This architectural marvel is in desperate need of restoration work and the government must take notice of this. This is not just an abandoned place of worship, but also an important heritage site of the city.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2013.                    

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