History of Suraj Kund Temple Multan Pakistan || Alexander , Hiwan Tsang, Al-Biruni visited temple

Suraj Kund Temple (Sun Temple) Multan Which was not demolished even by Muhammad bin Qasim. Before the arrival of Islam in the subcontinent, Hinduism, Buddhism and various tribal religions were prevalent in this region. It is said that this ancient historical temple was built by the son of Krishna so that he could get rid of leprosy. The sun was worshipped in this temple. There is also a pond for bathing in front of the temple. Which is called Kund. Accordingly, this temple was named "Suraj Kund" temple (Sun pond). It is also called Aditya Sun Temple. According to various historical books of Hindu authors, this was the third largest Sun Temple in India along with Balaji Temple in Tirupati area and Anantha Padmanabha Temple in Tiruvanthapuram area. Dr. Mumtaz Hussain Pathan in his book History of Sindh Volume 2 estimates that 2000 years ago, the administration of this temple consisted of 6000 people. Alexander the Great also visited this temple. Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang, after visiting this temple, called Multan a flourishing city. When Alberuni passed through Multan in the 11th century, he also came to see this temple. Al-Maqdisi also visited this temple. Multan was the capital during the Hindu Shahi period of Sindh before the arrival of the Arabs. It is said that Muhammad bin Qasim also refused to demolish this temple. By Allah, He knows best. In front of this temple is a 132 feet wide and 10 feet deep pond. Which was always full of water at one time. Water was supplied to this pond from a nearby canal. That canal still flows near this temple. From 1821 to 1844, the Sikh Diwan "Sawan Mal" was the governor of Multan for 23 years. He built an octagonal wall around the pond. Kamran Azam Sohadravi writes in his book Pakistan's Archaeology that during the siege of 1848, this area served as a British garrison under the leadership of Lieutenant Edward O'Leary. This place was considered a source of blessings for Hindu pilgrims. Two fairs were organized here every year. One of them was celebrated on the seventh day of Bhad, when the moon was waning. And the other was held on the same date in the month of Magh. The seventh day is in honor of the Hindu Deomala, the chariot of the sun god drawn by seven horses. According to one legend, the seventh day was dedicated to spiritual gatherings in honor of the seven sons of Mannu (seven sages), who are considered the first founders of Multan. Before the partition of India, for the convenience of the pilgrims who came here for the fair, the local Hindus used to bring blankets in the winter and hand fans in the summer and keep them in the temple. It is said that a golden idol was kept here. When the situation deteriorated during the establishment of Pakistan, the high priest here fled with the idol during the attack of the local Muslims. The temple building has been damaged due to its non-use and has fallen into disrepair. While the bushes in the pond have burnt down. While building the wall of the pond built by Diwan Sawan Mill, jute, lime, rice water and other materials were used, due to which the wall is still in a very good condition. There is an old Hindu mansion adjacent to the pond. According to some traditions, when Hazrat Shah Shams Sabzwari visited this area, he asked the people for fire so that he could cook meat, but the people of the area refused to give him fire. Then he asked the sun, the sun came down and he cooked the meat with the heat of the sun. According to the locals, that place is still there on the left side of the mosque adjacent to the pond and temple. (How much truth is there in this incident? Nothing can be said about it. I have only narrated the statement of the locals to you.) To see the temple, there is a Suraj Kund stop on the old Shujaabad Road of Multan city. This temple is located in the streets nearby. From there, Suraj Kund starts, which comes to Chowk Shah Abbas on the current Vehari Road. #india #pakistan #hindu #history