Our neighboring country Pakistan is facing flood damage. Thousands of people died and many lost their homes. Jalal Khan, a small village located in the Kachhi district of Balochistan, is still suffering. Many houses were destroyed here. According to the Pakistani newspaper ‘Dawn’, the village is isolated from the rest of the province due to floods in the Nari, Bolan and Lehri rivers.
Dawn also reported that during these trying times, the local Hindu community opened the doors of the Baba Madhodas Mandir to the flood-affected people and their livestock. According to locals, Baba Madhodas was a pre-Partition Hindu monk. He was revered by Muslims and Hindus alike. “He used to travel on a camel,” says Iltaf Buzdar, a regular visitor to the village from Bhag Nari tehsil. Iltaf says that he was a person who thought beyond caste and religion.
The shrine is made of concrete and is frequented by Hindu devotees from all over Balochistan. Being located on higher ground, it remains relatively safe from floods and can serve as a shelter for flood-affected people. That is why the devotees opened the shrine for the flood victims.
Shopkeeper Ratan Kumar (55) of Bhag Nari tehsil is now in charge of the temple. “The temple has more than 100 rooms as many people from Balochistan and Sindh come here for pilgrimage every year” -he says.
Ratan’s son Sawan Kumar said that although a few rooms were damaged in the unusual rains, the entire structure remained safe. Dawn reported that at least 200-300 people, mostly Muslims, and their cattle were sheltered on the premises and cared for by Hindu families.