ISLAMABAD, March 2011: In Islamabad, the Rawal Lake temple, although on its last legs, exudes presence. It is a rectangular building with two arched openings on its southern side. There are five flights of steps leading to the garbhagriha, a small unlit shrine where only priests may enter.
Today, one finds rubbish inside the main chamber of the Rawal lake temple. The outer wall of the temple has fallen. One wonders if it’s too much to ask of the authorities to save the ancient structure from further damage.
Before partition, a Samadhi shrine belonging to a Hindu ascetic of the Nath Jogi order was located near the present Rawal Chowk. It was a small, domed structure where Hindu ascetics practiced rituals. There are many other sacred places of Nath yogis in and around Islamabad. Among these, the sacred spaces at Bagh Joghia are quite prominent. Another place associated with yogis is located just two kilometres west of Bari Imam.