Inside Pakistan’s Hindu Island! | Sadhu Bela
Deep in Sindh, Pakistan, in the middle of the mighty Indus River, lies an extraordinary Hindu temple complex that I never expected to find here.Sadhu Bela is an island temple dedicated to the Hindu faith, and reaching it meant taking a boat across the Indus River from Sukkur. The island is home to multiple temples, shrines, gardens, living quarters and facilities for devotees who travel here for religious festivals.
But getting there wasn't quite as straightforward as it sounds. As we travelled north through Sindh, the police insisted on accompanying us because of the security situation in the region. Eventually we reached the river, where our only way to the temple was by boat.
Once on the island, I explored Sadhu Bela with the people who live and worship there, including the temple priest who has served here for 20 years.
I learn about Baba Bankhandi Maharaj, the founder of Sadhu Bela, and hear how the island developed from what was once described as little more than forest into an important Hindu pilgrimage site. I'm also shown the main temple, Goddess Annapurna, Radha-Krishna, Lord Ganesh, Shiv Ling and other shrines scattered around the island.
The island itself is just as fascinating as the temples. There are old trees, gardens, peacocks, the Indus River surrounding the island, and incredible views back towards Sukkur. I even get to see the island's main embankment, Raj Ghat.
For guided tours of Mohenjo-daro or Kot Diji, you can contact Irshad directly on WhatsApp: +92 0336 3417 549.
Location is Sadhu Bela Mandir, Sukkur, Sindh, Pakistan https://maps.app.goo.gl/o2xf2VDGzHinBV1n6.
00:00 The police found us
00:46 Crossing the Indus
01:53 Who is Baba Bankhandi?
03:09 Exploring the island
05:39 Inside the main temple
09:02 Exploring the Hindu island
10:06 Hindu & Muslim visitors
13:09 Nine temples on one island
14:02 Peacocks & the island gardens
15:01 The sacred Shiv Ling
16:03 Raj Ghat
HISTORY OF SADHU BELA
Sadhu Bela, also known as Sadh Belo, is a Hindu temple complex located on an island in the Indus River between Sukkur and Rohri in Sindh, Pakistan. The complex actually occupies two connected islands, Sadhu Bela and Deen Belo.
The history of Sadhu Bela is closely connected with Baba Bankhandi Maharaj, an Udasi ascetic who is believed to have settled on the island in 1823. At the time, the island was heavily forested and was known as Menak Parbat. Bankhandi chose the remote island as a place for meditation and spiritual practice, establishing a sacred fire, or dhuni, and lived there.
Over time, other devotees gathered around him and the isolated retreat developed into a religious community. According to local tradition, the goddess Annapurna appeared to Bankhandi in a dream and gave him a kamandalu, an ascetic's water vessel. The tradition holds that as long as the vessel remained at Sadhu Bela, the community would never run out of food.
As the community grew, temples and shrines dedicated to various Hindu deities were established across the island, including Shiva, Hanuman, Ganesh and Annapurna. Sadhu Bela also retained its strong Udasi traditions, creating a distinctive religious centre where Hindu and Udasi Sikh traditions existed alongside each other.
Baba Bankhandi Maharaj died in 1863, after which successive Udasi mahants continued to manage the complex. Many of the buildings seen today were constructed or expanded later. One of the principal temples was built in 1899 by Sant Harnam Das, the eighth gaddi nashin, or spiritual successor.
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Sadhu Bela had become an important pilgrimage centre for Hindus and Udasis throughout Sindh and beyond. Devotees travelled to the island to worship, study religious texts and participate in festivals.
Partition in 1947 dramatically changed the community. Many Hindu devotees and Udasi custodians left Sindh for India, but Sadhu Bela continued to function as a Hindu religious site in Pakistan.
Today, devotees still cross the Indus River by boat to reach Sadhu Bela. The island contains multiple temples and shrines, gardens, accommodation and other facilities for pilgrims. The annual Baba Bankhandi Maharaj Mela continues to attract Hindu pilgrims.
What makes Sadhu Bela particularly remarkable is that it is more than just an old temple. It is a religious community that grew from a man's retreat on a forested island nearly 200 years ago and continues to be an important Hindu pilgrimage site in Pakistan.
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