In a welcoming gesture, the provincial Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government in northwest Pakistan has declared ancient Hindu religious site of Panj Tirath as a heritage site on January 3. Panj Tirath has gotten its name because of the five pools of water present in it. It also has a temple and a lawn. This will now come under the Chacha Yunus Park and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The site was allegedly damaged during the Afghan Durrani dynasty era in 1747 and was restored by local Hindus during the Sikh era in 1834.
The directorate had asked the province administration to clear the site of any encroachments and build a boundary wall and to allow archaeologists to conduct preservation work.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government announced a fine of 2 million Pakistani rupees and five years' imprisonment for anyone found guilty of damaging the historic site.
