| Churrio Jabal Durga Mata Temple | |
|---|---|
 Entrance of Churrio Jabal Durga Mata temple. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Tharparkar |
| Deity | Durga |
| Location | |
| Location | Nagarparkar |
| State | Sindh |
| Country |  Pakistan |
  Shown within Sindh | |
| Coordinates | 24°24′01.5″N71°03′53.0″E / 24.400417°N 71.064722°E /24.400417; 71.064722 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Hindu temple |
24°23′59.7″N71°03′53.8″E / 24.399917°N 71.064944°E /24.399917; 71.064944
Churrio Jabal Durga Mata Temple (چوڙيو جبل, pronunciation: choo-ryo ja-bal) is situated on a hill named Churrio, located inNangarparkar in theTharparkar District in theSindh province ofPakistan. Hindus bring cremated ashes of their departed beloveds to immerse in the holy water in the temple.[1] The valuable and multi-coloured hill supporting the temple is mined for its rare and expensive granite, which is posing a serious threat to the temple.[2]
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The name Churrio (Choryo)[1] is a word from Sindhi language, derived from a word (چوڙي), to be pronounced as (Choo-rree), which means 'a bangle'; thus the word Churrio — an adjective in Sindhi language — means "belonging to/related to bangles",[3] because in the vicinity of the hill there are a number of small villages that have historically remained attached to the profession of manufacturing bangles for women. These locally manufactured bangles are then transported out of the villages to the nearby towns like Nangarparkar up to Mithi in the west andUmerkot in the north. Accordingly, culturally, the women of the area dress in heavily embroidered clothes with bangles adorning their wrists.[4]
Durga Mata temple, on Churrio Jabal hill in Chorrio village is dedicated to the Hindu goddessDurga,[5] who is attributed as destroyer of evil, triumph of good over evil, the mother of universe, and power behind the creation, preservation, and destruction of the world.[6] Thousands of pilgrims, not only from Pakistan, especially the provinces of Sindh, Baluchistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, but also from Nepal, India and other countries visit Churrio Hill for their religious festivals.[7] The temple is a part of Hindu religious and cultural heritage in Sindh, Pakistan.[8] OnShivratri 200,000 pilgrims visit the temples. Hinduscremate the dead and ashes are preserved until Shivratri for immersion into holy water. RicherPakistani Hindus go to India toimmerse the ashes inGanges and the rest visit Nagarparkar to immerse the ashes. However the area has been leased by the government for the mining by dynamite blasting of the hills on which the temples are located. This is posing a threat to the temples. Pilgrims held a protest against the destruction of this area by the miners.[1]
The Churrio Hill on which the temple exist is formed ofgranite.[9] Compared to the neighbouring areas ofRajasthan in India, where the granite is grey, the granite colour formation in Churrio is multicoloured and hence expensive.[10]
Mining is posing serious danger to the Hindu temples of the area.[5][8][1] The Hindu community protested against the mining.[1] Despite opposition by local Hindus, the digging work is going ahead. Instead of trying to put a stop to the digging activity, the Sindh government has issued a lease to a contractor to carry out the work.[11]
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