Somnath temple
New Delhi: Barely 4 years after independence, water from Pakistan was sought from Pakistan for a ritual related to the revival of the ancient Somnath temple and the then Indian diplomat posted there informed New Delhi that “Government of Pakistan would not object to it.” This information was received from the archial documents. These documents are near the National Archives of India.
According to a recently published report in a major Indian national daily, in February 1951, the head of the then princely state sent a request to Indian officials to order some water from the Indus River of Pakistan for the ritual. It was part of efforts to collect water and soil from various places for the temple -related ceremony. The incident took place 9 years before the Indus Water Treaty, which was signed between India and Pakistan in Karachi in September 1960.
Agreement suspended after Pahalgam attack
New Delhi has suspended the agreement after the terrorist attack on April 22 in Pahalgam. 26 people were killed in this attack, mostly tourists. The Indian National Archives (NAI), a Delhi -based National Archives (NAI) is the patron of the old records of the Government of India and keeps them for the use of administrators and researchers. A letter written by the then acting High Commissioner of India to a Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs on March 30, 1951 in Pakistan is also part of the NAI’s Archives. The letter states, “The Government of Pakistan will not object, but there is a possibility of some comments in the Pakistani press. This can be something like this-
(A) India ‘pretends’ to be a secular democracy. He is still involved with great pomp in the ceremony associated with the renovation of the temple destroyed by a Muslim invader. (B) India has not accepted partition. Sindhu is no longer an Indian river. It is the life -giving of Pakistan. The use of Indus water shows that India still considers this river holy for itself. ”
Chand also wrote in his letter, “This is definitely a historical opportunity for us to renovate the Somnath temple. But I would personally like that there is no mention of the fact that the High Commission sent Indus water. Indus water was used in relation to this festival, as well as water and soil from various places of the world, if it is considered desirable then it can be propagated minor.
Sindhu is considered a holy river in Hinduism
The Indus River is considered a holy river in Hinduism. The ancient Indus Valley Civilization is in the name of this, the main places of which are located in today’s Pakistan. It is widely said that the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru rejected the use of government treasures in the renovation of the ancient temple Somnath temple in Gujarat, citing the secular character of India. Somnath Temple is a revered place for Hindus. (With language inputs)
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