Overview
A temple on Manora Island at the mouth of Karachi harbour, said to be the only temple dedicated to Varuna in Pakistan. It was restored in 2018.
History
The sources conflict and none is firm. One account gives a sixteenth-century founding by the merchant Bhojomal Nenshi Bhatia after he acquired Manora Island from the Khan of Kalat. Treat the age as unresolved.
Spiritual Significance
A temple to Varuna at the mouth of a working harbour is exactly where the Vedic lord of the waters belongs, and the site is tied to the Sindhi Hindu mercantile and seafaring community and to the Jhulelal devotional tradition, in which Jhulelal is regarded as a form of Varuna. Dedicated Varuna temples are rare anywhere.
Prayers at Shri Varun Dev Mandir, Manora
ॐ जय दूलह देवा,
Pilgrimage Information
Current status: Active, restored in 2018 with United States government funding after structural erosion, and governed by the Pakistan Hindu Council. 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.
Sources
- Varun Dev Mandir other
About this page
Researched and written by YatraBeyond from published sources, and not yet confirmed by the temple. Facts here are cross-checked against at least two independent sources, never written from memory, and every source is listed above.
Last reviewed by us: 2026-09-17. Timings, entry rules and access can change without notice; treat anything time-sensitive as a starting point and confirm before you travel.
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