The temple in this photo is not the only remaining Lord Shiva temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan) - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
June 28, 2022
A photo is being widely shared on social media with a claim that it shows Hindus worshipping in the only remaining Lord Shiva temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan). Also, it is being claimed that the Hindus must wear skull caps if they have to worship in that temple. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Photo shows Hindus worshipping in the only remaining Lord Shiva temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan). Also, the Hindus must wear skull caps to worship in that temple.
Fact: The photo shows Hindus (Zahid Kumar and his sons) worshipping in the Goraknath Temple (Peshawar – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). However, the Goraknath Temple is not the only remaining Lord Shiva temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (as claimed in the post). There is another Shiva temple in Mansehra city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Also, not all persons visiting the Goraknath Temple wore skull caps in other visuals related to the temple. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When the posted photo was run through Google Reverse Image Search, the same photo was found in an article published by ‘The Express Tribune’ in 2019. In the article, it can be read – “Zahid Kumar and his two sons take to the historic Goro Goraknath temple in the middle of Peshawar, to spend their day in service…… Pre-independence, the province of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was home to approximately 50,000 Hindu families. But in the years after partition, the number dropped to only 1,200 in Peshawar as people migrated en masse to the other side of the border. However, for all those who stayed back like Kumar, a sturdy man of 35, the city of Peshawar became a haven where they could continue to enjoy religious freedom and live peacefully alongside the Muslims.” So, the photo shows Hindus (Zahid Kumar and his  sons) worshipping in the Goraknath Temple (Peshawar – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
However, the Goraknath Temple is not the only remaining Lord Shiva temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (as claimed in the post). There is another Shiva temple in Mansehra city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. More details regarding that temple can be found here and here.
Also, the Shivratri celebrations are held at Dargah Pir Ratan Nath (Peshawar – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), which is dedicated to the Lord Shiva.
Not all persons visiting the Goraknath Temple wore skull caps in other visuals related to the temple. Zahid Kumar posted other photos of the temple in 2017. In those photos, people with no head covering and some people just covering their heads with a cloth can be seen. Other posts of Zahid Kumar related to the temple can be seen here and here.
The temple manager speaking about the festivities at the temple can be seen here. More visuals (of devotees without the skull caps) and information about the temple can be found here, here, here, here, and here.
To sum it up, the temple in the posted photo is not the only remaining Lord Shiva temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Also, all devotees do not wear skull caps while worshipping in that temple.