KEY POINTS
- The sacred Pohar Talab (Shiva’s Pond) overflowed for the first time in years, damaging ancient temple structures
- Floodwaters have displaced nearby villages
- Experts warn this disaster reflects the growing threat of climate change to Pakistan’s cultural heritage
ISLAMABAD: In the Salt Range’s ancient heart, where time seems suspended among carved stone and whispered prayers, the Katas Raj Temples — sacred to Hindus for over 1,500 years — now lie swathed in floodwaters.
What was once a tranquil sanctuary, where legend says Lord Shiva wept divine tears into a crystalline pond, is today a site of sorrow.
Heavy monsoon rains have battered Punjab for days, and on July 17, the sacred Pohar Talab, or Shiva’s Pond, overflowed for the first time in years, its once-still waters now churning with fury.
Centuries-old temple structures stand knee-deep in floodwater, their ornate steps drowned, their courtyards submerged.
The flood has not only damaged the temple complex but has spilled into nearby villages — Jhangar, Harl Amrila, and Mohri — displacing families and raising cries of alarm that boom far beyond Chakwal.
Heavy rainfall continues to wreak havoc in Chakwal, severely impacting residents in both urban and rural areas.
The historic Katas Raj temples near Choa Saidan Shah have been flooded due to the relentless heavy rains. pic.twitter.com/o1ThL1wPzm— RASALA.PK (@rasalapk) July 17, 2025
Divine Tears, Now Torrents
According to Hindu mythology, Shiva’s grief over the loss of his beloved consort, Sati, birthed the very waters of Katas Raj.
His tears pooled into a sacred pond, believed to wash away the sins of those who bathe in it. But today, those same waters threaten the very sanctity they once symbolized.
The rising floodwaters, born of relentless monsoon clouds, have damaged parts of the complex. Walls that have withstood centuries of dynasties, empires, and changing faiths are now under siege from a natural force indifferent to heritage.
Heritage at Risk
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, has called for an immediate investigation.
Responding to alarm raised by cultural advocates and devotees on social media, the minister has formally written to the Evacuee Trust Property Board, seeking an urgent damage assessment.
“The Katas Raj Temples are not just stones and stories — they are a shared national treasure, a vital thread in the tapestry of our multicultural identity,” Khichi stated.
“We are fully committed to preserving this sacred heritage and will provide every possible support for its restoration.”
But preservation is easier pledged than done. The complex, already vulnerable due to earlier environmental degradation and water mismanagement, is now facing a dual crisis: nature’s wrath and human neglect.
Echoes from Antiquity
Katas Raj is more than a temple; it is a palimpsest of civilizations. Ancient Chinese monk Faxian described a temple here in the 4th century CE.
By the 7th century, Xuanzang visited and recorded a Buddhist stupa nearby, believed to have been commissioned by Emperor Ashoka himself.
Later, the Hindu Shahis erected the temples that now form the iconic complex — their devotion carved into stone.
Even the British-era archaeologist Alexander Cunningham, known for his obsession with South Asian ruins, linked the site to the Buddhist kingdom of Simhapura and dated parts of the complex as far back as 66 BCE.
Katas Raj is sacred to Hindus across the subcontinent — second only to Jwalamukhi in religious importance.
In recent years, the sacred pond saw its water levels drop alarmingly due to groundwater extraction by nearby cement factories and thirsty eucalyptus plantations.
In 2012 and again in 2017, public outcry led to intervention. But this latest calamity — one born not of depletion, but excess — is a fresh reminder that the threats to cultural heritage are evolving with the climate.
Climate and Culture Collide
Experts say the flooding of Katas Raj is not an isolated incident but part of a larger, looming crisis. As climate change intensifies South Asia’s monsoons, Pakistan faces a reckoning — not just with rising waters, but with the fragility of its historical legacy.
“Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent, and cultural sites like Katas Raj, which were never built to withstand such climatic shifts, are increasingly vulnerable,” said Dr. Arif Hussain, a heritage conservationist based in Islamabad. “We must act — not just with sandbags, but with sustainable planning.”
For now, rescue teams in Chakwal have set up barriers and pumps. Devotees, villagers, and volunteers work side by side, fighting to keep the floodwaters at bay.