Katas Raj Temples

The dating is unusually good for the region and comes in phases rather than a single founding. The oldest standing temple is attributed to the late sixth century CE, and the main Satghara group to the Hindu Shahi period, roughly the seventh to tenth centuries. Restoration work ran from 2006 to 2017, including reconstruction of a shikhara and, in 2017, a filtration system for the pond.

Two things give Katas Raj its standing. The first is the pond, which the tradition holds was formed from the tears of Shiva after the death of Sati, and which the Mahabharata tradition associates with the exile of the Pandavas. The second is documentary: al-Biruni is recorded as having studied here in the eleventh century, which ties the site to one of the most important scholarly encounters between the Islamic world and Indian learning.

Current status: Active, with an on-site Hindu community presence and continuing pilgrimage. Anyone planning to travel should check entry requirements and local conditions independently and close to the date. Indian passport holders face visa restrictions for Pakistan that change with the political weather, and access to several of these sites has historically depended on organised pilgrim groups rather than individual travel.