Quetta 11 September : Hidden in the Kachhi district of Balochistan The tiny village of Jalal Khan is still recovering from the floods which destroyed homes and left massive destruction in its aftermath, Dawn reported.The village was isolated from the rest of the province because of flooding in the Nari, Bolan, and Lehri rivers, leaving residents of the remote region to fend for their own.
In these difficult times the local Hindu community opened the doors of the Baba Madhodas Mandir to the flood-stricken and their livestock Dawn reported.
According to the locals, Baba Madhodas was a pre-partition Hindu dervish (saint) equally loved by Muslims and Hindus of the region.”He was a rider on a camels,” says Iltaf Buzdar who was a frequent visitor the village from the Bhag Nari Tehsil.
Buzdar claims that according to the stories told by his parents the saint transcended the boundaries of religion.”He thought of people from the perspective of humanity, instead of their creed or caste,” he quotes his parents, Dawn reported.
The temple which is frequently used by Hindu worshippers from all over Balochistan is made of concrete.It covers a huge area.Because it is situated on a high ground it was somewhat safe from flood waters and could provide refuge for flood-stricken people in their most bleak moment.
The majority of members of the Hindu community in Jalal Khan have migrated to other cities of Kachhi to work and other opportunities.However, some of families are still on the temple grounds to take care of it.
Rattan Kumar, 55, is a shopkeeper in the Bhag Nari tehsil is the head of the temple at the moment.”There are more than one hundred rooms in the temple because many thousands of visitors from all across Balochistan and Sindh visit the temple for a pilgrimage throughout the year” he tells Dawn.
It’s not as if the temple was not able to take the burden of unusual rains.Sawan Kumar, Rattan’s son told Dawn that a some rooms suffered damage however, the overall structure was secure.
About 200-300 people mostly Muslims along with their livestock, were provided shelter on the premises and taken care of by Hindu family members, Dawn reported.
The area was initially completely isolated from the rest of the district.
The people who were displaced claimed that they were given food through helicopters, however, after they relocated to the temple, they found themselves provided food by the Hindu community.
Israr Mugheri works as a physician in Jalal Khan.Since his arrivalin Jalal Khan, he has created an medical camp within the temple.”Besides residents, Hindus have also housed the sheep and goats together with other domestic animals,” he told Dawn.”There was a loudspeaker announcement of the local Hindus and urging Muslims to hurry to the temple and seek refuge,” he adds, Dawn said.
The people who sought refuge there claim they are grateful to the community in general for helping them and providing them with food and shelter at this time of need.
For the locals welcoming the temple to people who survived of the flood was a sign of human compassion and harmony in religion and harmony, which has been their custom for many centuries, Dawn reported.
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