New Delhi: In a goodwill gesture, Pakistan has sent a pitcher of holy water of Katas Raj temple in Chakwal district of Punjab to BJP veteran L K Advani, who had in 2005 visited the temple for launch of restoration work.
The pitcher carrying the holy water from the 'Amar Kund' (holy pond) of the temple was sent to Advani yesterday by Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit.
In 2005, Government of Pakistan had invited Advani, the then BJP president, to be the chief guest at a function to commemorate the restoration of the Katas Raj Temple in Pakistan's Punjab district.
Since then, the BJP veteran has been enquiring about the progress of the ongoing work there from every important visiting Pakistani dignitary who have met him here, a statement from the party said.
It is said that the five Pandava brothers, heroes of the historical epic Mahabharata, stayed at this temple for four out of the 14 years that they spent in exile.
According to Hindu mythology, the pond at the temple was formed by Lord Shiva's tears which he is believed to have shed after the death of his wife, Satti.
The story goes that when Satti died, Lord Shiva cried so much and for so long, that his tears created two holy ponds one at Pushkar in Ajmer in India and the other at Ketaksha, which literally means raining eyes, in Sanskrit. It is from this name that the word Katas is derived.
