Lal Kurti Temple

Lal Kurti Temple (also known as the Balmiki Temple or Valmiki Mandir) is a Hindu temple located in the historic Lalkurti area of Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan.^[1] Built in 1905, it remains an active place of worship for the city’s small Hindu community.^[2] The temple is the only Hindu shrine still in use within Lalkurti, a neighbourhood that historically had multiple places of worship for different faiths.^[3] It is one of the 3 main Hindu temples in the Rawalpindi district, others being Krishna Temple in Saddar Cantonment, and the Valmiki Swamiji Mandir in Gracy lines.^[4]

Lalkurti developed in the mid-to-late 19th century as a bazaar serving the British Indian Army; the area’s name derives from the red tunics of soldiers who shopped there.^[3] The temple structure was completed in 1905 and remained a focal point for local Hindus before and after the Partition of India.^[2] Following 1947, most Hindus left the area, but a small community continued to worship at the temple.^[3]

In the years after Partition, Kheera Lal served as the temple’s first post-Partition administrator. His grave remains within a side portion of the complex.^[2]

The temple hosts daily worship and major Hindu festivals including Diwali, Holi and Raksha Bandhan.^[2] Temple administration has been led by members of a local family associated with the Pakistan Hindu Balmik Welfare Society.^[2]

• Shri Krishna Temple, Rawalpindi
• Hinduism in Pakistan