Hinglaj Mata - Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage

The annual four-day pilgrimage to the Hinglaj Mata Temple is organized every year in April. The major ceremony in the pilgrimage occurs on the third day, when the priests of the shrine recite mantras to invoke the gods to accept the offerings brought by the pilgrims, and bless them. Offerings made by the pilgrims to the deity primarily consist of three coconuts. While some remain in Hinglaj for all four days, others make a short day trip. Pilgrimage to the site is traditionally begun from the Nanad Panthi Akhada in Karachi. The pilgrim groups are headed by a holy staff bearer called the chaadiar, authorized by the Akhada (a Hindu organization of sadhus). The sadhus (holy-men) belonging to this group are a very cohesive group of Hata yogis with ancestral genealogy of their own, and they also observe certain secret rites.

During the pilgrimage, pilgrims from all over Pakistan and even India visit the temple, holding traditional red-coloured banners and wearing red-gold decorative head-scarves, which are associated with sanctuaries of Hindu goddesses, in this case Hinglaj Mata. What was once a journey of more than 150 kilometres (93 mi) by foot through the desert from the nearest road, is now made easy because of a new coastal highway built connecting Karachi with Gwadar. Consequently, the number of pilgrims visiting the shrine has substantially increased over the years; the last reported figure was 25000 to 30000. While most pilgrims come by bus or private cars, a few even cycle their way to the shrine, as it is believed that more the austerities, the more is the grace of the deity.

Before the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947, the region constituting present-day Pakistan had 20% Hindu and Sikh population, which fell to 1.6% or about 3 million due to migration of 6 million Hindus and Sikhs to India. Of these, nearly 2.3 million Hindus, the largest concentration is in a single district, stay in the Tharparkar District (Thar) district of Sind Province. They form the largest contingent of pilgrims to Hinglaj Mata Temple. They include merchants, government servants, but the majority are the lower-class Hindus, serving as bonded labourers and farm workers. However, the costumes of these folks from rural Pakistan are most colourful. Their women dress in heavily embroidered clothes with bangles adorning their wrists. For Thari children employed as bonded labour, this is a one-time fun time. The pilgrims also includes middle-class Hindus, especially from nearby Karachi, which is a stop on the pilgrimage route to Hinglaj.

The pilgrimage also serves as meeting point for places and doing community activity like gathering funds for construction of a Hindu temple. Hundreds of volunteers help in the organization. Diesel generators are installed. Vast community kitchens are set up to cook food prepared with tonnes of food stuff such as wheat floor, rice, lentils, and vegetables supplied by local people to feed the pilgrims. Three meals are prepared. Temporary bathroom facilities and camps are installed.