Hindu Mandars in Pakistan

[American Pakistani]

Very very very few Marathis, if any. There is no count for them. Marathis are a little bit too far away geographically from Pakistan, & are more South India than North India in my opinion, no offense. There are lots of Bengalis though, some people put their number close to 2 million. Then there are Bihari speakers like me, & other Indian ethnic groups as well (lots of Rajasthani languages like Marwari, Dathki) in Sindh, as well as other Indian languages. There are even traces of certain southern Indian languages found, especially in the Dravidian Pakistani Hindus, but unfortunately, no Marathi to my knowledge.

Sorry for little Offtopic but my maternal Grand mother(nani ammi) was from a marathi family, they lived in Bombay before moving to Karachi.

 

[53fd]

Sorry for little Offtopic but my maternal Grand mother(nani ammi) was from a marathi family, they lived in Bombay before moving to Karachi.

Thanks for letting me know. I guess there are older speakers of Marathi in Karachi that migrated from Bombay, but I don't know if there are younger speakers. I might be wrong though, & any kind of input would help. Really appreciate it.

 

[Karachiite]

Yeah there are probably over a few thousand Marathis in Karachi alone because before 1947 Karachi was part of Bombay Presidency. Surprisingly the first school in Karachi was started by a Marathi guy (Narayan Jagannath School), it still exists on MA Jinnah Road.
I think some of the Hindu and Parsi population contribute to the Marathis here.

 

[kingkobra]

Sorry for little Offtopic but my maternal Grand mother(nani ammi) was from a marathi family, they lived in Bombay before moving to Karachi.

thats interesting dude..

 

[Areesh]

i heard there are few marathi speakers too in karachi.

Yup they are. I know one such family but marathi is only spoken by the older generation. The young generation doesn't speak in Marathi.

 

[Areesh]

By the way my whole family migrated from Hyderabad Daccan to Karachi.

 

[kingkobra]

Thanks for letting me know. I guess there are older speakers of Marathi in Karachi that migrated from Bombay, but I don't know if there are younger speakers. I might be wrong though, & any kind of input would help. Really appreciate it.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

Marathis celebrate Ganesh Pooja

Text and photo by Amar Guriro

KARACHI: Marathi Hindus laden with fruit, milk and Parshad, started pouring into the Shiva temple in Clifton from early evening Wednesday and by midnight, the temple courtyard was packed with hundreds.
The occasion was Ganesh Chaturthi or the birthday of the elephant god, Ganesh, the most sacred Hindu devita. Ganesh Chaturthi is a popular Hindu festival, especially for Marathi Hindus (belonging to the Maharashtra state of western India), which falls every year on the 4th day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada (sixth month of the Hindu calendar). “Ganesha is the son of god Shiva and goddess Parvati. Ganesh is an important god, who comes first in any prayer or when Hindus start anything new,” said Mohan Gaikwaar, a pundit at the temple. According to Hindu beliefs, Ganesh is the most talented Hindu god, as once, Vishnu, the supreme soul in Hindu religion, asked all the gods and goddesses to find the different corners of universe and all left except for Ganesh. He simply drew a circle around his parents and explained that they were the entire universe.
In one corner of the temple courtyard, above the cemented platform, a huge Mandap or tent was set up, inside which was a huge idol of Ganesh. The idol was almost entirely covered under wreaths and the Mandap was full of offerings by the faithful, which included bitter gourd, sweet gourd, coconuts, pumpkins, guavas, pears, bananas, apples, grapes and mangoes.
There were also several pots of milk, rice and a big pot filled with Modakas (sweet Ladoo). The scent of agarbattis, loban and other perfumes filled the air. The pundit explained that all the ingredients were an essential part of the Ganesh Pooja. “However, the sweet ladoos are the most important and during Pooja, 21 ladoos are kept as Parshad. Of these, some are offered to Ganesh, some to pundits and the remaining to the participants of the pooja,” said Gaikwaar, who has been a pundit for the last 42 years in different Hindu temples of the city.
“In different parts of India, especially in Maharashtra, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated for 10 days but in Pakistan, the celebrations are not longer than a day and a half. We start making the Mandap one day before the actual worship and, although, people start coming from the morning, the pooja starts at 8:00 p.m.,” said Gaikwaar. He said that the devotees sing, dance and recite holy mantra till morning and on the next day, the idol is taken in a procession to the Arabian Sea, where it is immersed into the water.
A participant, Hari, said that he attends pooja for mental satisfaction, while another participant, social worker Hema Mukesh, said that the religious and cultural festival is a chance for the community to meet up. “Besides the pooja, we get a chance to meet friends and also enjoy the music,” she said.
The attendees also include people from out of Karachi. Gunwan, a resident of Hyderabad, comes to Karachi every year with his family on this day. “We really enjoy the festival and make sure we come every year,” he said.
The celebrations continued till morning and after singing the Arti, the devotees started returning to their homes.

 

[53fd]

To give a little bit of perspective of what has been shown in this thread, Hindus have an overwhelming presence in Sindh, & live peacefully alongside Muslims there. There are about 7.5-8 million Hindus in Pakistan according to the estimate by the Pakistan Hindu Council, & about 6.9 million of those are in Sindh. There are 350,000 Hindus in Punjab, 21000 Hindus in KPK, 118,000 in Balochistan.

These are the locations of the cities/towns I've shown the Mandirs in this thread from (in Sindh province only). There are many more Mandirs out there in Sindh, & the rest of Pakistan:

I hope all of this was educational to Indian Hindus. I have Pakistani Hindu friends, & they are very patriotic towards Pakistan, & love Pakistan more than anything. I hope this thread is educational for most of you guys here. I am about to make a thread about the holy sites for Sikh gurdwaras, & the churches for Christians inside Pakistan as well, & I'd like input from anyone interested.

 

[Gentle Typhoon]

The correct word and spelling is Mandir.

Mandir = Mandar in Punjabi

Bharatiya = Bharti in Punjabi

 

[Karachiite]

By the way my whole family migrated from Hyderabad Daccan to Karachi.

Part of my mom's side migrated from Hyderabad Deccan to Karachi as well.

 

[hembo]

By the way my whole family migrated from Hyderabad Daccan to Karachi.

Do you or any of your folks know telugu?

This thread has been an eye opener for sure. I knew there were Temples in Pakistan, but never knew there were so many. Although, I myself is not at all religious, it feels nice to see all these old architecture in Pakistan.

Regarding those complaining of ill keeping of some of these, it may come as surprise, but even in India, some of the old Heritage sites requires proper preservation. Lack of fund, certainly is not the issue, but the negligence of those in the helm of affairs sure is.

Thanks Bilal and others for the share.

 

[riju78]

thanks for this thread.. has been an eye opener...

 

[Water Car Engineer]

No offense, but I think a lot of Jain & Hindu temples in Pakistan are older than the ones in India.

Its hard to tell. Just because it looks a lot more messed up does not mean its older.

Mundeshwari Temple is the oldest 'functional' Hindu temple built around 108 AD. The temples in India are obviously well maintained compared to the once in Pakistan,

 

[53fd]

Its hard to tell. Just because it looks a lot more messed up does not mean its older.

Mundeshwari Temple is the oldest 'functional' Hindu temple built around 108 AD. The temples in India are obviously well maintained compared to the once in Pakistan,

I think the term 'Hindu' which is derived from 'Sindhu' (present day Sindh, Pakistan) should tell you that the temples in Sindh are older than the ones in present day India. All the pictures of the Mandirs I posted has a specific, historical significance in terms of Hinduism.

 

[Water Car Engineer]

I think the term 'Hindu' which is derived from 'Sindhu' (present day Sindh, Pakistan) should tell you that the temples in Sindh are older than the ones in present day India. All the pictures of the Mandirs I posted has a specific, historical significance in terms of Hinduism.

No, it should not. "Hindu" never meant the people who practiced the many many Vedic sects. It was what the Persians, and other middle east people called all the people east of the Indus river. Hence names like "Hindustan" came about for all the land that's east of the Indus.