"Thar Hindu Temples and Communities: A Visitor's Guide"

Tharparkar is home to the largest Hindu population of any district in Pakistan: about 811,000 people, or roughly 45.6% of the district, in the 2023 census. The best-known Thar Hindu temples are the Sant Nenuram Ashram in Islamkot, the Sardharo Shiv temple and Churrio Jabal in the Karoonjhar hills near Nagarparkar, alongside the old Jain temples of Gori and Bhodesar. Visitors of any faith are generally welcome, provided they dress modestly, take off their shoes and ask before photographing people.

This guide is about the communities rather than any one temple: who they are, how Hindu and Muslim neighbours share the desert, which places a visitor can see, and how to behave as a guest.

Who are the Hindu communities of Thar?

Tharparkar's Hindus are not one community but many, each with its own customs, dress and trades. Among them are the Meghwar, known across the desert for their embroidery; the Kolhi and Bheel, many of them in the south around Nagarparkar; Rajput families, often called Thakur; and trading communities such as the Maheshwari and Lohana. A large share of Thar's Hindus belong to scheduled castes.

The balance changes across the district. Mithi is about 70% Hindu, and Nagarparkar and Islamkot also have Hindu majorities, while the northern talukas are mostly Muslim. Day to day, most people speak Dhatki, a language close to Marwari, with Parkari Koli in the south-east.

The desert has its own heroes too. Rooplo Kolhi, from Nagarparkar, fought the British when they moved into the area in 1857 and was hanged in 1858; he is still remembered across Thar, and the government resort at Nagarparkar bears his name.

What does Pakistan's law say about minority worship?

The Constitution of Pakistan protects the right of every community to practise its religion. Article 20 gives every citizen the right to profess, practise and propagate their religion, and every religious denomination the right to establish and manage its religious institutions. Article 22 says no one at a school or college can be made to receive religious instruction, or join a religious ceremony, of a faith other than their own. Article 36 directs the state to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of minorities, including their due representation in federal and provincial services.

In his speech to the Constituent Assembly on 11 August 1947, Muhammad Ali Jinnah put it in a sentence still quoted on Minorities Day: "You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this State of Pakistan." For a wider view of Pakistan's minority communities and their sacred sites, see our guide to minorities in Pakistan.

How do Hindus and Muslims share the desert?

Thar is often described in the Pakistani press as a place where neighbours make room for each other's faith, and residents of both communities describe it the same way. In Mithi and across much of the district, Muslims avoid slaughtering cows out of respect for Hindu neighbours; it is not a law, but a custom people keep by choice. Hindu families organise iftar for Muslim neighbours in Ramazan, sweets go back and forth at Eid and Diwali, and Hindus take part in the Muharram processions.

You will see this most clearly in Mithi, the district headquarters, where Hindu families avoid holding weddings during Muharram out of respect for their Muslim neighbours. Our Mithi town guide covers the town itself.

Which Thar Hindu temples can visitors see?

• Sant Nenuram Ashram, Islamkot. Founded in 1937 by Sant Nenuram, born in Islamkot in 1898, the ashram covers about 10 acres of temples and resting places. Its langar feeds hundreds of people every day regardless of religion or caste, and a three-day mela on the saint's death anniversary draws Hindus and Muslims alike. Islamkot is about 45 km from Mithi.
• Sardharo, Karoonjhar hills. A Shiva shrine of four temples, a samadhi and a pond, beside one of only two springs in the Karoonjhar hills. It holds an annual Shiv mela.
• Churrio Jabal Durga Mata temple, near Nagarparkar, whose Shivratri pilgrimage is one of the largest in Sindh. Our Churrio Jabal guide covers the climb and the festival.
• The Nagarparkar Jain temples at Gori and Bhodesar, Jain rather than Hindu, with the Bhodesar group dated by the Sindh culture department to between 1375 and 1449. See our Nagarparkar Jain temples guide.
• Umerkot Shiv Mandir, just outside Tharparkar in Umerkot, the focus of a large Shivratri mela. Our Umerkot Shiv Mandir guide has the details.

For a route that strings temples together from Karachi to Nagarparkar, see Hindu temples in Sindh. For festival dates, our guides to Holi in Pakistan and Diwali in Pakistan cover Thar's celebrations.

How should you visit respectfully?

• Take off your shoes before entering a temple, and follow what local worshippers do.
• Dress modestly. Long sleeves and loose clothes for men and women; a dupatta is a good idea for women.
• Leave meat and eggs outside temple compounds, and don't take food into the shrine itself.
• Ask before photographing people, and especially women, in temples and villages. Photographing a building is usually fine, but ask the pujari or caretaker.
• Ask before entering a home or courtyard in a village, even if a door is open.
• Give at the langar or donation box if you eat or are offered prasad. It is not expected of guests, but it is appreciated.

Is it safe to visit Thar's temples?

Tharparkar is visited by Pakistani families every monsoon and winter, and the main roads from Karachi to Mithi and on to Nagarparkar are paved. Nagarparkar, Churrio Jabal and the Jain temples are close to the Indian border, so expect Rangers checkpoints, carry your CNIC and follow instructions on where you can go. The UK government advises against all but essential travel within 5 miles of the Indian border, so overseas visitors should check their own government's advice, which can affect travel insurance. Our guide to whether Tharparkar is safe covers checkpoints, road safety and heat.

Who is this trip for?

It suits travellers interested in faith, crafts and village life, and anyone who wants to see a part of Pakistan where two religions live side by side as a matter of course. A Thar trip built around a festival, Holi in spring or Diwali in autumn, gives the most to see. It suits those less well who want sights packed close together: distances in the desert are long and the temples are spread out, so allow at least two nights. For ideas on combining Thar with other experiences, see our experiences page.

Frequently asked questions