Katas Raj Temples

The Katas Raj complex in northern Punjab surrounds a sacred pond held to be fed by Shiva's tears when Sati died. Its name comes from the Sanskrit kataksha, tearful eyes.

The Chinese pilgrim Faxian described a temple here in the 4th century, and Xuanzang in the 7th century saw a Buddhist stupa attributed to Ashoka's age. The surviving Hindu temples were raised from the late 6th century under the Shahi kings of Gandhara and the Odi Shahi dynasty. Temple B dates to the late 500s, and the principal Temple A to the 900s.

Later Sikh rulers added a fort and haveli. Ranjit Singh came on pilgrimage in 1806, 1818 and 1824, and the Maha Shivaratri fair made Katas Raj a Hindu gathering place of western Punjab.