Kabul was the capital of the great
Hindu Shahi kings. Afghanistan was a great center of Vedic culture. There were many
Hindu temples in Afghanistan. Some temples in Kabul have survived the recent turmoil.
Asamai Hindu temple, Old city, Dargaa, Asamayi: The Asamai temple is at the foothills of the central hill
Asamayi (Koh-i-Asamayi) of the Afghan capital. The hill is named Asamai after Asha, the goddess of hope said to be present on the hilltop since ancient times. The Akhand Jyoti (continuous fire) there has been burning uninterrupted for many centuries. The temple and the Jyoti have survived numerous conflicts in Kabul and are reminders of Afghanistan under the Hindu Shahi kings. The Asamai temples of
New York,
MarylandLondon, Faridabad,
FrankfurtCologne and Amsterdam
Belgium are named after the famous Kabul temple.
Baba Jothi Sorup Mandir, Darwaza Lahuri
Bhairo Mandir, Shor Bazaar
Guru Hari Rai Gurudwara, Shor Bazaar
Mangalwar Mandir, Shor Bazaar
Hindu temples in Kandahar
In
Kandahar, there were Hindu temples in Shikarpuri Bazaar, Kabuli Bazaar and Jhampeer Sahib (near Sarpooza) and Devi-dwara (near Dand).
Hindu temples in other cities of Afghanistan
There have also been Hindu temples and Gurudwaras at Chasma Sahib, Sultanpur, Jalalabad,
Ghazni,
Helmand (Lashkerga).
Hindus of Afghanistan
The main Hindu residents of Afghanistan have been
Mohyals,[2]Khatris and
Aroras, some other communities like Bhatias, and Brahmins other than Mohyals have also been present there.