Situated on the banks of the icy Lidder river, a 900-year old Shiva temple is the only Hindu shrine in the Kashmir valley which has Muslim priests.
After the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from a nearby village, two Muslim priests - Mohmmad Abdullah and Ghulam Hassan kept the doors of the Mamalaka temple open and bells continued to toll.
"We not only took care of temple but also held 'aartis' everyday," Ghulam Hasan said.
Besides ensuring the safety of the 3-feet-long black stone "shivaling", Abdullah and Hassan have ensured no devotee goes without prasad even for a single day.
"We have faith in Lord Shiva. We not only maintained the temple, undertook repairs but also ensured that the temple remains fully functional despite threats from the militants," they said.
From The New Indian Express
I wish we got to hear more stories like this...
ReplyDeleteJust makes me ask..why then is there so much of disharmony?
ReplyDeleteWish our people were a little smart, recognise the ones taking them for a ride before they condemn innocent fellow conutrymen without a thought.
Pray that, more such stories to be brought to the forefront.
Wow! That is so wonderful to read.. Wish more people realised that religious divides just help selfish so-called religious leaders - and nobody else..
ReplyDeleteScraboney, Aswathy, Smitha, there are several such stories in 'Incredible India' which the hate mongers on either side may not like. Muslims in India are in many ways closely linked to Hinduism. That news story brought an interesting thought into my mind. If somehow the Kashmiri Pandits returned and started managing the temple on their own,what would be the status of the those Muslim caretakers ? will they be allowed entry into the temple?
ReplyDeleteawesome! It was nice reading this!
ReplyDeleteBrim over I agree but I dream the collection should have more info then it has.
ReplyDelete