Sanvrega Pakistan's 1200-year-old Valmiki Temple: It was occupied by the Christian family for 2 decades, freed after a long fight

The 1200-year-old Valmiki Temple in Lahore, Pakistan will be renovated. This temple was occupied by a Christian family for many years. After a prolonged court battle, in July 2022, the federal body Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) took back the possession of the temple from the family.

ETPB is an organization in Pakistan. It looks after the temples and lands of the country that Sikhs and Hindus left for India after the partition. This organization oversees 200 Gurdwaras and 150 temples across Pakistan. Let us tell you that apart from the Krishna temple in Lahore, people can worship in the Valmiki temple only.

The temple was occupied for 20 years

The Christian family that occupied the temple claims that they converted to Hinduism. The family had occupied the temple for about 20 years and they only allowed people from the Valmiki caste to worship in the temple.

ETBP spokesperson Amir Hashmi said – the Valmiki temple will be decorated under the master plan. More than 100 Hindu, Sikh, and Christian leaders reached the Valmiki temple. Hindus offered prayers at the temple and attended the langar for the first time.

Angry people broke idols in the Valmiki temple

An ETBP official said the temple land was given to the ETBP in the revenue records but the family claimed to be the owner of the property in 2010-11 and filed suit in the civil court. After the demolition of the Babri Masjid in India in 1992, some people attacked the Valmiki temple, vandalized idols, and set fire to nearby buildings.

An ETBP spokesperson said that the Supreme Court of Pakistan had constituted a team that submitted its recommendations to the government. Which it was said that the temple should be renovated but the matter was in court, due to which ETBP could not restore the temple.

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