Pressed up against the foothills of the Himalayas in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad is a tiny sixteenth century temple, Rama Temple (also known as Ram Kund Temple). The temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Rama who Hindus believe lived in the area with his family during 14 years of their exile. According to Capital Development Authority (CDA) records, Rama Mandir was built by Mirza Raja Mann Singh (1550-1614) was the 24th Kachawaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Amber from 1589 to 1614, he served in the Imperial Mughal Army under Emperor Akbar. For the Mughals, he also served as the foremost Imperial Subahdar (Governor) of Kabul Subah from 1585 to 1586 then Subahdar of Bihar Subah (province) from 1587 to 1594, then for Bengal Subah for three terms from 1595 to 1606 and the Subahdar of Kabul Subah from 1585 to 1586, a pligrimage got popular in his reign and a regular fair was instituted for this shrine around 1580. According to official records dating back to 1893, a fair was held each year at a pond near the site called “Ram Kund” to commemorate that Ram and his family had once sipped water from it. For centuries, Hindus traveled far and wide to worship at the Rama Mandir Temple, staying peacefully in an adjoining dharamshala (rest house) for pilgrims, in what is today called Saidpur village. There is also a Gurdwara right beside it and a Mosque nearby, the architectural design of almost eroded buildings of Saidpur Village have a rich history of culture, religious heritage and influence of three eras of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs reigns & religions.
The Calcutta Review, Volumes 74-75 which was published in 1882 mentions, About 10 miles North of Rawalpindi is a place of great local celebrity, called by the Hindus as ‘RamKund’ or ‘Rama’s Pool’ and by the Muhammedans as ‘Saidpur’. According to 1893 Rawalpindi District Gazetteer, this place was known for a fair which was held on Sankranti of Baisakh month i.e. Baisakhi day and 8,000 devotees used to visit the fair annually. The temple also finds mention in Ganesh Das Vadhera’s book named Char Bagh-i-Punjab (The Gardens of the Punjab) dated to 1850s.
Google Map: P3V9+V6M
Geographic coordinates:
33°44′41.2″N
73°04′04.8″E