Kalat Kali Temple
Kalat Kali Mandir (Urdu: کالی مندر) is a Hindu temple located in Kalat, Pakistan in Balochistan province devoted to the Hindu deity Kali.[1]It was built 1500 years ago.[2]The temple has the second biggest Kali Mata Statue in Asia. Hindus not only of Pakistan but from India also comes here to visit the mandir.[3]
| Kalat Kali Temple | |
|---|---|
کالی مندر | |
 View of Kalat Kali Temple at Kalat City | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Kalat |
| Deity | Kali & Shiva |
| Festivals | Navaratri |
| Location | |
| Location | Kalat |
| State | Balochistan |
| Country | Pakistan |
  Shown within Balochistan, Pakistan  Kalat Kali Temple (Pakistan)  Kalat Kali Temple (Asia) | |
| Geographic coordinates | 29°01′49.7″N 66°34′48.4″E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Hindu temple |
| Specifications | |
| Temple(s) | 1 |
| Monument(s) | 1 |
| Inscriptions | 2 |
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| Hinduism |
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History
Kalat's Kali Devi temple is a Hindu mandir located below the citadel of Kalat, dedicated to the goddess Kali. This mandir dates back to the pre-Islamic era of South Asia. It has been known in earlier times as Kalat-i-Seva (from a legendary Hindu king) and Kalat-i Nicari which connects it with the Brahui Speaking Baloch tribe of Nicari , which is generally accepted as belonging to the oldest branch of the indigenous Brahois.[4]
It is also believed by some Hindus that Kali spent her life in Kalat.[5]
According to Sham Kumar, a Hindu intellectual, says “He ruled parts of Balochistan before the Arab invasion. Hinduism and Buddhism were predominant in Balochistan and Sindh in those days”. Two Hindu temples of that time are still alive – Hinglaj Mata Temple in Lasbela and Kali Mata Temple in Kalat. “They remind me of the strong influence of Hindus in Balochistan at that time,”[6]
See also
References
- Daily Times article on Varun Dev Temple
- https://www.quettawaly.com/1500-years-old-kali-temple-in-kalat-balochistan/
- https://www.quettawaly.com/1500-years-old-kali-temple-in-kalat-balochistan/
- E.J. Brill's first encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936, Volume 4 By M. Th. Houtsma, Martijn Theodoor Houtsma Page 678
- 1500 Years Old Kali Temple in Kalat Balochistan, Quetta Waly
- Thakur, Kamal (2020). Temples of Pakistan: Balochistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Islamabad Capital Territory and Gilgit-Baltistan (Volume - I), Page No. 15-16. Notion Press. ISBN 978-1636062419.
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