Indian Hindus arrive in Lahore to celebrate Lord Shiva's son Kartikeya's birthday

Lahore, Nov 25 : A delegation of around 112 Hindus has reportedly arrived in Lahore to celebrate the birth anniversary of Kartikeya, the son of Lord Shiva, at Katas Raj temples.

Katas Raj, a group of temples, is one of important worship places for Hindus in Pakistan. A pond at Katas Raj came into being because of tears of Lord Shiva on the death of his wife Satti.

According to Hindu mythology, Kartikeya was created from Shiva's third eye's six sparks. Shiva created him to destroy a demon called "Soorapadma".

Kartikeya rides on a divine peacock and carries a divine spear as a weapon."

Krishna Temple General Secretary Sunny Kumar, who welcomed the Hindu pilgrims on behalf of all Pakistani Hindus, said: "Kartikeya is also known as Kartik. He is considered the most handsome among all the deities, an eternal bachelor, destroyer of all ills and the commander-in-chief of the gods' army. He is said to have killed the demon Tarakasura and saved the universe from eternal darkness."

"Kartik is worshipped individually during Kartik Puja. Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Ganesh are worshiped in addition to him during Durga Puja," the Daily Times quoted Kumar as saying.

Katasraj Temple is a Hindu temple situated in Chakwal. Most of the temples located within 40 km from Chakwal were built during the reign of Hindu kings. These temples were built around 900 years ago. During 2006-07, Pakistan decided to place idols of Hindu gods in the seven temples and restore them to their original state to attract Hindu visitors.

The Hindu pilgrims would return to Lahore on November 27 and gather at Dera Sahib Gurdwara. They would return to India on December 3.

ANI