**Historical Temples of Rawalpindi: The Ganj Mandi Temple**
Rawalpindi is home to several historical temples located across various mohallas and bazaars throughout the city. Among these, a notable temple stands in Ganj Mandi—a well-known marketplace comprising several small bazaars and serving as a hub for local businesses.
### The Temple in Bismillah Market, Ganj Mandi
In the Bismillah Market within Ganj Mandi, there exists an old Hindu temple believed to have been constructed in the first or second quarter of the 20th century. Unfortunately, this temple is now in a state of considerable disrepair.
I first visited the temple in 2003 and returned multiple times—in 2009, 2014, 2015, and most recently in February 2025. During my 2009 visit, I noticed a pickle maker had set up operations within the temple complex. The temple once housed multiple rooms for pilgrims, but today only one or two rooms remain.
By 2009, the main sanctuary of the temple had been converted into a store, with utensils for pickle-making occupying the main room. The inner sanctum, known as the garbhagriha, had been painted during that time. However, in visits during 2014, 2015, and February 2025, the temple was found closed.
### Architectural Features and Interior Decoration
The temple’s interior is square, with walls adorned by triple recessed arches. Each layer of these arches creates visual depth and is crowned with an amalaka design—a circular, ribbed stone element traditionally seen in Hindu temple architecture. These triple recessed arches with amalaka-shaped motifs reflect the style typical of the temple’s interior decoration and showcase stucco as a preferred medium for creating these features.
Such decoration is common in most pre-partition temples across not only Rawalpindi but also in other villages and towns of Pothohar. Similarly refined triple recessed arches with amalaka motifs can be found at the Mohra Bhattan temple in Rawalpindi’s Kallar Syedan tehsil.
On the eastern wall, there are two true arches with openings and a third false arch. Above these arches runs a beautifully painted frieze adorned with floral decorations encircling the room’s perimeter. Just above the frieze, squinches and a series of false arches help transform the square room into an octagon, allowing for the placement of an octagonal shikhara (temple tower). The spandrels of these false or blind arches are also painted.
Floral vases and intricate floral designs decorate various parts of the interior, especially in the transition zone. Donor plaques were once visible on the floor—many of which showed signs of aging and had become dulled or partially obscured by sludge by 2009. One particular plaque written in Devanagari script stood out, bearing the name “Madho Das Ji,” a quiet reminder of a devotee’s lasting contribution still holding through the passage of time.
### Historical and Religious Significance
This temple is believed to be associated either with the Udasi or Nath yogis and was considered one of the magnificent buildings of its era, though it has now sadly lost much of its original beauty. The square temple structure is surmounted by an octagonal shikhara resting on a square base platform featuring four niches, each depicting a Hindu deity.
The octagonal shikhara itself houses eight niches, each illustrating Hindu deities—except for one niche, which depicts Guru Nanak alongside his companions Bhai Bala and Bhai Mardana. The presence of this Sikh imagery in a Hindu temple within Rawalpindi city is unusual, as most Hindu temples are decorated exclusively with Hindu deities and mythologies from sacred Hindu scriptures.
Interestingly, there is a temple outside Rawalpindi city—located in Gulyana village in Gujar Khan—that also depicts Guru Nanak with Bhai Mardana. Depictions of Guru Nanak are common in Sikh monuments and are a recurrent theme in Pothohari havelis and samadhis of Sikh nobles and ascetics, used in both religious and secular contexts.
Similarly, Udasi temples often depict both Hindu deities and Sikh Gurus in their paintings. The Ganj Mandi temple appears to be associated either with the Naths or Udasis and was probably constructed to honor the Devi (Goddess).
### The Udasi Ascetics and Local Heritage
In the Rawalpindi district, there was a presence of Udasi ascetics. One prominent Udasi ascetic was Baba Mohans Das, whose samadhi (tomb) is located in Karnali village near Sukho in Gujar Khan tehsil. The remains of this samadhi can still be seen today.
The Udasis trace their spiritual lineage back to Baba Sri Chand, the elder son of Baba Guru Nanak (1469–1539). Like the Nath yogis, the Udasis were celibate and practiced austerities and hatha yoga, establishing dhunis (campfires) and meditating in caves or remote, secluded places away from village populations.
Many caves across Pothohar were used by both Nath and Udasi ascetics for their spiritual practices. For instance, some caves in the Katas Raj complex and Tilla Jogian—Jhelum district’s most famous Nath monastery—were also frequented by ascetics of other religions, including Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism.
### The Temple’s Iconography and Condition
The first niche on the square base of the temple’s octagonal shikhara depicts a standing Shiva, though the painting has faded significantly due to exposure to extreme weather. The second niche shows a standing Vishnu with his consort Lakshmi, also in poor condition.
The third niche represents Ganapati (Ganesha), depicted with four arms holding various objects. The fourth niche illustrates Anantashayana Vishnu reclining on the multi-headed serpent Shesha (Ananta) amidst the cosmic ocean, with Goddess Lakshmi seated at his feet and four-headed Brahma sitting on a lotus sprouting from Vishnu’s navel. This depiction, a recurring motif in Pothohar temples, is also badly weathered.
The eight niches on the octagonal shikhara feature paintings of Hindu deities and Baba Guru Nanak. Unfortunately, all these paintings have deteriorated over time. Among them, one niche shows Guru Nanak with Bhai Bala and Bhai Mardana, while others depict Vishnu, Durga (now dull in appearance), and Baba Sri Chand, whose image has also been badly weathered.
The temple’s finial (kalasa) remains intact, and the facade of the octagonal shikhara is decorated with miniature shikharas made from plaster.
### Need for Preservation
Standing on the roof of this temple complex, one can also see the shikhara of another Hindu temple located nearby in Chaudhry Bazaar, within the Ganj Mandi area. Both temples have lost much of their original charm and architectural beauty.
These historical structures need urgent preservation efforts before their rich heritage and cultural legacy are lost to time.
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**Conclusion**
The Ganj Mandi Hindu temple in Rawalpindi offers a remarkable glimpse into the religious, cultural, and architectural history of the region. Despite suffering from neglect and decay, its artistic details, religious iconography, and historical associations with Udasi and Nath yogis make it a valuable heritage site deserving of restoration and care. Preserving such monuments will help retain the diverse historical narratives that have shaped Rawalpindi and its surroundings.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/1346561-fading-frescoes