Umarkot Shiv Mandir
{{Short description|Hindu temple in Sindh, Pakistan}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=November 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}
{{Infobox Hindu temple
|name = Umarkot Shiv Mandir
|image = Shiv Mandir Umerkot.jpg
|alt =
|caption = Umerkot Shiv Mandir
|map_type = Sindh
|coordinates = {{coord|25|24|58.7|N|69|46|34.5|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
|coordinates_footnotes =
|map_caption =
|native_name = उमरकोट शिव मंदिर
|oriya =
|country = Pakistan {{flagicon|Pakistan}}
|state = Sindh
|district = Umerkot District
|locale = Umerkot
|elevation_m =
|elevation_footnotes =
|deity = Shiva
|primary_deity_Godess =
|utsava_deity_God =
|utsava_deity_Godess =
|Direction_posture =
|Pushakarani =
|Vimanam =
|Poets =
|Prathyaksham =
|festivals = Shivaratri, Diwali
|architecture = Hindu temple
|architect =
|temple_quantity = 1
|monument_quantity =
|inscriptions =
|established =
|year_completed =
|creator =
|temple_board =
|governing_body = Pakistan Hindu Council
|website = {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090223221816/http://www.pakistanhinducouncil.org/ Pakistan Hindu Council]}}
}}
{{Hinduism}}
Umarkot Shiv Mandir ({{Langx|ur|{{nq|شِو مندِر}}}}), also known as Amarkot Shiv Mandir, is a Hindu temple situated in Umerkot District, near Rana Jaageer Goth, in Sindh Province of Pakistan.{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/687540/tharparkar-famine-feeding-the-soul/|title=Tharparkar famine: Feeding the soul|date=30 March 2014|publisher=Tribune|access-date=20 October 2014}} This temple is perhaps the oldest in Sindh. The temple is one of the most sacred Hindu places of worship in the Sindh{{cite web| url = https://www.dawn.com/news/1392074| title = The thriving Shiva festival in Umarkot is a reminder of Sindh's Hindu heritage - DAWN.COM}}
History
According to the legend, thousands of years ago a man used to nourish cows here, where there was wide patches of grown grass. But eventually he noticed that one of his cows would go somewhere else and give her milk to a Lingam nearby. The man kept an eye on his cow and investigated her peculiar behaviour. Subsequently, people visited the area and after checking they concluded that it was a Shiv Lingam. Thus, Shiv Mandir was built.{{cite web|url=http://www.sgrhf.org.pk/shive-mandir-umarkot/|title=Shive Mandir, Umarkot|access-date=14 September 2021}} The current structure of the temple was built by a Muslim man a century ago.{{cite news|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2319975/Pakistan's-Thar-Desert-boasts-rich-architecture|title=Pakistan's Thar Desert boasts rich architecture|publisher=Tribune|access-date=14 September 2021}}
Deity
The temple has magnificent Shiv Lingam, which is indeed one of the best in the whole world. Legend says that the Lingam kept growing itself until locals marked the height to literally observe the growth.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}
Festival
Every year on Maha Shivaratri, there is a huge three-day festival. On Maha Shivratri, many Pilgrims from lower and upper Sindh come and most of them stay for the three days of festivities. It is one of the biggest religious festivals in the country. It is attended by around 250,000 people. All the expenses were borne by the All Hindu Panchayat of Umarkot.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Hindu temples in Pakistan}}
{{Cultural heritage sites in Sindh |state=autocollapse}}