The Prahladpuri temple is a ruined Hindu temple on the Multan Fort mound, on a raised platform right beside the shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya. It was dedicated to Narasimha, the man-lion form of Vishnu, and local tradition ties it to the story of Prahlad and Holika that lies behind Holi. A mob wrecked it in December 1992, restoration has been ordered and announced several times since, and it remains a ruin. You can see what is left as part of a walk across the mound, free of charge, but there is no worship, no signboard and nothing staffed.
This guide covers the legend, the temple's recorded history from the 19th century onwards, the 1992 destruction and the restoration plans, and how to find the site and behave there.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Site | Southern tip of the Multan Fort mound (Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh), next to Bahauddin Zakariya's shrine |
| Dedicated to | Narasimha, a form of Vishnu |
| Tradition | Linked to Prahlad, Holika and the origin of Holi |
| Destroyed | December 1992, after the Babri Masjid demolition in India |
| Owner | Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) |
| Condition | Ruined platform and walls; restoration not carried out |
| Entry | No ticket; the mound is open ground |
| Time needed | 15 to 20 minutes, as part of a longer visit to the mound |
What is the legend of the Prahladpuri temple?
In the Hindu story, Prahlad was the son of the demon king Hiranyakashipu and a devotee of Vishnu, which enraged his father. The king's sister Holika, who was believed to be immune to fire, sat with the boy in a fire; she burned and he survived. Vishnu then appeared as Narasimha, half man and half lion, bursting out of a stone pillar to kill the king.
Local tradition holds that all of this happened in Multan, and that Prahlad himself built the first temple here to honour Narasimha. That is why the site is often described as the place where Holi began, and why the bonfire of Holika Dahan is linked to it. These are matters of belief, not dated history, but they explain why the temple mattered far beyond Multan. Our guide to Holi in Pakistan covers how the festival is celebrated in the country today.
What do we actually know about its history?
The written record is much later than the legend. Earlier temples almost certainly stood on the site and were rebuilt more than once over the medieval centuries, but the details are thin and some accounts contradict each other.
The 19th century is better documented:
- 1810: the temple's height was raised, which caused friction with the custodians of the neighbouring Muslim shrine.
- 1831: Alexander Burnes described a low building supported on wooden pillars.
- 1848 to 1849: during the British siege of Multan, an East India Company shell destroyed the roof.
- 1854: Alexander Cunningham found a roofless square brick building with finely carved wooden pillars.
- 1861: the chief mahant, Baba Ram Das, raised around 11,000 rupees to refurbish it.
The temple's position, pressed up against the shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya, was the root of a long dispute about how tall it could be. A plan in the 1870s and 1880 to add a 45-foot spire ran into objections from the shrine's side, and the colonial government reinstated a 33-foot limit.
The 1881 riots
In September 1881 rioting broke out in Multan over the transport of beef, against a background of wider communal tension in Punjab. Hindu rioters burned a mosque, and in retaliation a Muslim mob set fire to the Prahladpuri temple. Afterwards a wall was built to separate the temple from the shrine, a new well was dug for Hindu worshippers, and access to the temple became more restricted. The Narasimha image was moved to a new Narasimha temple in the town.
What happened in 1992?
After Partition most of Multan's Hindus left for India. A small community kept the temple going until the 1970s, when the Narasimha image was taken to Haridwar. The Evacuee Trust Property Board took over the property, and a madrasa was set up within the complex in the 1980s.
On 6 December 1992 Hindu activists demolished the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, India. In the backlash that followed, a mob attacked and destroyed the Prahladpuri temple and its adjoining dharamshala. It has been a ruin ever since. By 2006, according to Wikipedia's sources, squatters were living in its lower levels and part of the site was being used to dump rubbish.
Is the Prahladpuri temple being restored?
Not yet, despite repeated announcements:
- 2009: the federal government allocated money to document and preserve the ruin. A survey found it was at risk of collapse, but the plan was shelved.
- 2015: the ETPB chairman announced that the temple would be rebuilt on its original site, with work due to start in July 2015 and the Punjab Archaeology Department to carry it out (The News, May 2015). Funding was granted, but local administration did not issue a no objection certificate, and the plan lapsed when the chairman left the post.
- 2021: a Supreme Court commission criticised the ETPB's care of Hindu sites and recommended immediate restoration, and the court directed that the temple be prepared for Holi. Multan's district peace committee, with religious scholars and officials, pledged to support the work (Pakistan Observer, February 2021).
As of the most recent reports we could find in 2026, none of these plans has produced a restored temple. If you read that it has reopened, check a recent news source before treating it as fact.
What can you see there today?
Honestly, not much. What survives is the raised platform and broken brick walls of the temple, beside the boundary of Bahauddin Zakariya's shrine. There is no image, no priest and no interpretive board. The temple once had a main hall with passages running round it, lit by skylights, but you will need old photographs to picture that.
The site matters more for what it represents than for what is left: one of the oldest strands of Multan's religious history, sitting on the same mound as two of the most important Sufi shrines in South Asia.
How do you find it on the Multan Fort mound?
The ruin is at the southern end of the fort mound, Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh, in central Multan. Take a rickshaw or ride-hailing car to the mound and walk up through the Qasim Bagh gardens. Head for the shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya; the temple remains are on the raised ground right next to it.
Our Multan Fort guide has a walking route across the mound that passes the ruin between the two shrines, and our guide to the Bahauddin Zakariya shrine covers the shrine itself. Nearby, also on the mound, is the tomb of Shah Rukn-e-Alam. The mound has no separate gate for the temple and no published opening hours.
How should you visit respectfully?
- Keep it low-key. This is a sensitive site with a painful history. Look, take a photograph if no one objects, and move on.
- Ask before photographing people. Madrasa students and residents may be around the complex.
- Don't climb on the walls. The 2009 survey already warned that the structure was unstable.
- Dress for the shrine next door. Most visitors arrive from or go on to Bahauddin Zakariya's shrine, where heads are covered and shoes come off.
- Avoid the midday heat from May to September, as there is little shade on the mound.
Is it worth going?
If you are already visiting the shrines on the fort mound, yes: it is a few minutes' walk, it costs nothing, and it adds a side of Multan's past that the shrines alone do not show. Anyone interested in Pakistan's Hindu heritage, or in the history of Holi, will find it worth seeing.
If you are hoping for a temple to visit as a temple, you will be disappointed. For working Hindu temples in Pakistan, and other sites that survive as ruins, see our guide to Hindu temples in Pakistan. For more ways to spend time in the city, our experiences page and the guide to places to visit in Multan are good next steps.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Prahladpuri temple in Multan?
It is on the Multan Fort mound, Qila Kohna Qasim Bagh, on a raised platform beside the shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya in central Multan.
Why is the Prahladpuri temple linked to Holi?
Local Hindu tradition places the story of Prahlad, Holika and Narasimha in Multan, and holds that Prahlad built the first temple here. Holi's bonfire, Holika Dahan, recalls that story.
When was the Prahladpuri temple destroyed?
It was badly damaged by fire in the 1881 riots and destroyed by a mob in December 1992, after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in India. It has stayed in ruins since.
Has the Prahladpuri temple been rebuilt?
No. Restoration was announced in 2015 and ordered by the Supreme Court in 2021, but as of 2026 it has not been carried out.
Is there an entry fee to see the temple ruins?
No. The remains are on open ground on the fort mound, and there is no ticket or staffed entrance.
Is Holi celebrated at the Prahladpuri temple?
No. There is no active worship at the ruin, so the festival is not held there, although the site's link to Holi is often recalled at Holi time.
