Lava temple, Lahore fort

Lava Mandir, Lahore
Rama with his sons, Lava and Kusha
Lava Mandir, Lahore Location within Pakistan
Geography
Coordinates	31°32′59″N 74°20′37″E / 31.54972°N 74.34361°E / 31.54972; 74.34361Coordinates: 31°32′59″N 74°20′37″E / 31.54972°N 74.34361°E / 31.54972; 74.34361
Country	Pakistan
District	Lahore
Locale	Lahore Fort
Culture
Primary deity	Lava (Ramayana)
Architecture
Architectural styles	Hindu temple
Number of temples	1
History and governance
Governing body	Pakistan Hindu Council
Website	http://www.pakistanhinducouncil.org/

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Lava Mandir, is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Lava (Ramayana) - son of Rama, is located in Lahore Fort, Lahore, Pakistan. Lahore city is named after him.

Naming of Lahore after Lava and temple

In the Deshwa Bhaga, Lahore is called Lavpor, which at once points to its origin from Lav, the son of Rama, while in the ancient annals of Rajputana the name given is Loh Kot, meaning “the fort of Loh,” which, again, has reference to its mythical founder, Rama’s son.^[1]

Lava temple

A legend based on oral traditions holds that Lahore, known in ancient times as Lavapuri (City of Lava in Sanskrit),^[2] was founded by Prince Lava,^[3] the son of Sita and Rama; Kasur was founded by his twin brother Prince Kusha.^[4] To this day, Lahore Fort has a vacant temple dedicated to Lava (also pronounced Loh, hence Loh-awar or "The Fort of Loh").^[5]

The oldest authentic document about Lahore was written anonymously in 982. It is called Hudud-i-Alam (The Regions of the World).^[6] In 1927 it was translated into English by Vladimir Fedorovich Minorsky and published in Lahore. In this document, Lahore is referred to as a small shehr (city) with "impressive temples, large markets and huge orchards." It refers to "two major markets around which dwellings exist," and it also mentions "the mud walls that enclose these two dwellings to make it one." The original document is currently held in the British Museum.^[7] Lahore was called by different names throughout history. To date there is no conclusive evidence as to when it was founded. Some historians trace the history of the city as far back as 4000 years ago.^[8] However, historically, it has been proved that Lahore is at least 2,000 years old. Lying on the main trade and invasion routes to South Asia, Lahore has been ruled and plundered by a number of dynasties and hordes.

See also

References