Nothing describes the amity between the man and the machine better than a good long ride, one after the other, whenever possible. The man hunched over the handle bars, sitting in the saddle for long hours, I wonder if it is a sedentary lifestyle or a sporty one. He is not on the road but a part of it and the surroundings at the same time.
As if my recent Kashmir trip, (where I explored Ganga Top in Bagh District, Lasdana, Toli Pir Top and Banjosa lake) had not been enough. I set out on another amazing ride from Islamabad after a brief gap of three days. The destination was my hometown, Joharabad in District Khushab and since I was riding my bike so I had to take the highway skirting through Chakwal and Kallar Kahar to reach Joharabad, because unfortunate as it is, motorcycles are not allowed on the Motorway. It was a travel in time as I was on the Chakwal-Kallar Kahar road after 27 years, which was the regular old route before M2 was opened for the traffic.
The plan was to ride nonstop till Kallar Kahar and then proceed on the Kallar Kahar-Cho a’ Saiden Shah road to visit Kattas Raj Temples. Lucky for me that the August weather was not in its usual frenzy so the ride and the Kattas Temple visit was quite comfortable despite the sunshine.
Kattas Raj Temples have a great significance in the Hindu religion and the place witnessed regular visits of yatrees from all over India before the partition. After partition, the temples were abandoned and rather went into oblivion. This was my second visit of the temples, the first one being in 2006 when the whole area gave a deserted look, the historic pavements covered in leaves that had been lying there for decades.
After 2007 some uplift work was done here upon special request of the Indian government and later in 2017, upon the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, a lot of renovation work was carried out here so the site is now in a very decent shape for its visitors. Hindu yatrees visit the area in November every year, regularly since 2012.
The history of Kattas Raj Temples dates back to the year 700AD when its construction was completed. Legend has it that lord Shiva was in deep grief after the death of his wife Satti and he arrived at thisplace in deep sorrow, and as he wept his tears filled the area that turned into a pond. There are twelve temples here, almost all still in a very good condition despite all these years, which speaks for the brilliant craftsmanship of the engineers of the time.
The pond has a depth of about 25 to 30 feet and followers of Hindu faith believe that their sins are washed away if the take bath in the pond water. The pond had almost dried up by the year 2010-11, whereafter a tube-well was installed close to it, which now regularly supplies fresh water to the pond. Bathing in the pond is prohibited for the visitors though.
On one side lies the Berragi Haveli where they used to have a library at the time. Decorative artwork adorns the ceiling of Ramachandra temple, and the colours are eye catching. Havan Kund, where Hindus would always keep a fire burning, now gets a fire that remains alive throughout the day although outside the temple. I always feel that historic buildings are veiled by a sense of mystery. A visit of such enigmatic relics tends to flash an image in your mindas though you have traveled back in time.
Kattas Temples should be preserved as a heritage asset, it is unfortunate how neglected this place has been in the past. As against last time, I was happy to see that now the site is under proper management. I captured some video clips with brief history of the temples, which will be available on my youtube channel “7th gear by Talal.”
I resumed my journey after the visit of the temples. Lunch at the TDCP resort Kallar Kahar was as delicious as the ride had been fabulous. This was my first ride on the bike through the Kattha mountain range as well and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some of the mountains here present an amazing look, like the walls of a huge fort.
The sun was fading in my eyes as I reached the outskirts of Joharabad. It was a day long trip of about 270km as I reached my hometown, but my journey is far from over!
This exclusive article has been published in Automark Magazine’s October-2024 printed and digital edition. Written by #Talal Hussain Malik