As you know the colorful festival of Holi is coming soon.

But do you know the origins of the festival of Holi, some of it lies in the ruins in Pakistan, believed to be the place where Holika Dahan originated, but the condition of Hindu temples in Pakistan is extremely heartbreaking.

The Temple Of Prahladpuri, located in Multan city of Punjab province in Pakistan, was destroyed in 1992. It is located adjacent to the Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya.

It's believed that this is where Holika Dahan took place for the first time, and the temple was built by Prahalada, who was a devotee of god Vishnu. Local folklores claim that the temple was built in honour of Narasimha by Prahalada, who was the son of Hiranyakashipu. Narsimha/Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. According to mythology, it's believed that the Narsimha form of Vishnu, which is part-lion and part-human, came to kill Hiranyakashipu, who was the asura (demon) king of Multan. The iconography of Narasimha depicts him with a torso of a human, and face and claws of a lion, with Hiranyakashipu being disemboweled and killed by him in his lap. Narsimha is also known as the protector of the world.

The Prahladpuri temple was an important pilgrimage site for Hindus. It was in the 11th century that the temple faced destruction for the first time by Mahmud of Ghazni. In between, the temple also faced destruction during the Multan riots in 1881.

The temple was renovated by Hindus eventually. After the creation of Independent Pakistan, the picture of Narsimha was taken to Haridwar in the 1970s. The temple fell into a state of neglect. However, it continued to be a prominent landmark in Multan.

However, it was in 1992, in retaliation to the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the Prahladpuri temple was destroyed by a mob. It was turned into a dumping ground for garbage and the land was encroached upon.

Hopefully one day, the Hindus will be able to celebrate Holika Dahan at the place where it all began.