For more than a week, from April 20 to 30, the Hinglaj Mata temple in Balochistan saw a steady trickle of devotees from all over Sindh. The heaviest rush of devotees was witnessed on April 26, 27, and 28, when a good number of Zikris of Balochistan also thronged this revered shrine. The Zikri Baloch are a sect of Muslims living in Balochistan who call it “Nani ka Mandir’’. The pilgrimage to the Hinglaj Mata Mandir is known as “Nani ka Haj’’ among the Zikris.
More about the Zikris later, as we revert our focus to the Hinglaj Mata, considered a Shakti Peeth. According to the dominant Sanatana traditions, the temple of Hinglaj Mata is located near the Hingol river in Makran a place where Sati Mata’s head had fallen. Incidentally, most of the Shakti Peeths are located in India at places where Sati Mata’s body parts had fallen. Chhinmastika (Chintapurni) and Naina Devi in Himachal Pradesh are two Peeths associated with the Sati Mata story.
It is said that Sati was born as a daughter in the family of Prajapati Daksh who was a king. Sati got married to Shri Shiv Bhagwan later. Some time later, Daksh organised a grand yagya in which he invited all but not Shivji and his consort, Sati, his own daughter. But uninvited Sati reached his father’s place and found that no place had been reserved for Bhagwan Shivaji.
Angered by this, Sati immolated herself at the venue of the yagya itself. Bhagwan Shiva then picked up Sati’s body and started doing Tandava, the dance of wrath, which created chaos all around. Vishnu Bhawgan then used his sudershan chakra to dismember the body of Sati to bring out Bhagwan Shivji from his trance. Sati’s body parts then fell all over and her head fell in Balochistan, and this place is where Hinglaj Mata Temple is located, according to Sanatana traditions. At present, the temple falls within the Hingol National Park in the Lasbela district.
At one time, Islamists had hatched a conspiracy to create a dam some distance away from the present temple. The dam would have submerged the cave temple, which is very similar to the cave of Shri Mata Vaishno in the Reasi district of the Jammu region. Another major point of similarity between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple and Hinglaj Mata Mandir in Balochistan has also been pointed out by many. In both of these temples, it is in the form of a stone slab (shila swaroop) that Durga Mata has manifested herself.
Among the Baloch community, who are all Muslims divided into many tribes, the worship of Mother Goddess in the Sanatana tradition is widely prevalent. Though they are devoted Muslims, the Baloch methods of worship show strains of other religions like Hinduism and Zoroastrianism. Sufi traditions find a strong following among the Baloch, who have been fiercely devoted to syncretic traditions and detest radical Islamists.
The reverence of the Baloch for the Hinglaj Mata is one reason why this temple has survived as a major point of convergence for Hindu Sanatanis in Pakistan. Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, is approximately 200 km away. This is usually the starting point for the Hinglaj Mata Yatra in April every year.
The entire gamut of religious places associated with the Hinglaj Mata yatra are considered an important part of the Baloch heritage. Though most Baloch are poverty stricken, and Balochistan remains the most underdeveloped province of Pakistan, the Baloch Muslims have been steadfast in their devotion to the shrine. It is because of the unstinted support of the Baloch that the annual fair of Hinglaj Mata Shrine is continuing uninterrupted.
One more interesting fact about the Hinglaj Mata shrine is the place of reverence it holds among mystical Nath Panthis, especially those of the Gorakhnath Panth. Most of the followers of this sect are from the cult of kaan phatay (torn ear) ascetics. It bears mention here that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the presiding seer of the Gorakhnath Yogi tradition at present. The rituals associated with Hinglaj Mata play an important part in the initiation ceremony of Gorakhnath Panth yogis (ascetics/monks).
Mud Volcano, on the way to the cave of Mata Hinglaj, is a very important place of reverence for the devotees. A bath in the sacred Hinglaj river nearby is another sacred ritual associated with the yatra. In 2006, the late Jaswant Singh, a senior BJP leader who held important portfolios, visited Hinglaj Mata Temple along with a select group of people.
Despite centuries of invasions, persecution, and growing religious intolerance in Pakistani society, the Hinglaj Mata temple yatra tradition has continued uninterrupted so far. Some persons associated with the management of the Hinglaj Mata yatra have been advocating the opening of a visa-free corridor to facilitate religious tourism. They argue that just like Kartarpur corridor has been created, the Pakistan government should work to create a Hinglaj Mata temple also.
