Amritsar (Punjab): A Hindu group of 68 people left for a seven-day pilgrimage to Katas Raj temple in Pakistan to celebrate the Maha Shivratri there. The group left for the temple via the Attari border in Amritsar on Wednesday. As many as 115 people applied for visas. The Pakistan embassy rejected the visas of 47 devotees at the last moment and now only 68 pilgrims could leave for the temple. The group visited the Durgiana temple in Amritsar before leaving for Pakistan.
President of the Durgiana Mandir Committee Lakshmi Kant Chawla said people from all over the nation have arrived here for the pilgrimage. "I am happy to see this. But at the same time, I am also disappointed because the visas of 47 people have been rejected at the last moment. I request the authorities to allow us to take at least 1,000 devotees to the pilgrim site, he said.
I also request the authorities to issue visas to devotees at least 15 days prior. We can only request this through the Indian government. When Pakistani people visit India, they do not face any problems that we face. It is not our job, but the government should look into it, Chawla said.
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Before leaving for the pilgrimage site, a devotee from Karnataka's Mysore said, "I applied for the vis here twice before, but I could not get it. I am happy that I am going to visit the temple on the occasion of Maha Shivratri. Along with visiting Katas Raj temple, we will also visit other places in Lahore."
Another devotee from Delhi said, "I am happy that I am going to pay my obeisance at the Katas Raj temple on the occasion of Maha Shivratri. It is a week-long pilgrimage trip and we will come back on Feb. 22."
