The Tears of Shiva, Katas, Pakistan

The Shri Katas Raj Temple complex of several  Hindu shrines connected to one another by walkways , is located in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The  temple complex surrounds a pond named Katas fed by a natural spring which is regarded as sacred by Hindus. Hindu tradition holds that the temples date from the era of the great epic Mahabharata and is believed to be where the  Pandava brothers spent a large portion of their exile.

The temples derive their holiness from the legend that following the death of his wife Sati, the Hindu god Shiva wandered inconsolably, while some of his tears collected in the pond  around which the Katas Raj Temples are set. Some legends also state that the very first Shiva Linga  was in Katas .

This temple complex of antiquity was also described by 4th century CE Chinese monk,  Faxian.  The Katas site houses the Satgraha, a group of seven ancient temples, remains of a  Buddhist stupa and five other medieval temples.  The seven temples were built in an architectural style similar to Kashmiri temples.

Once a revered site for Hindu pilgrims, much of  the ancient Katas Raj Temple complex after the partition of India in 1947 was either destroyed or left neglected. Murals were destroyed and the pond filled with garbage. Some efforts to clean the pond were undertaken by authorities but the water levels are drastically low due to illegal water usage of the waters of the spring- fed pond by nearby cement factories

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