What makes India beautiful is the sacred thread of unity that binds millions of people who follow hundreds of different rituals together. To exemplify that unity, the Muslims in Kashmir have stepped up to make this year’s Mahashivratri a memorable one for the whole country.
The Shiv temple in the small town of Sumbal in Bandipore district wore a deserted look ever since the Kashmiri Pandits left the area in the late 90s owing to militancy problems. Neither Pandits nor the deities bothered visiting this temple. The ever so special day of Mahashivratri became just another day for this temple located in this area where the Muslims are in majority.
However, this Mahashivratri was something different. Muslims of the region broke all religious barriers and opened the deserted Shiv temple to celebrate Mahashivratri on Friday.
Dozens of men joined hands to wipe the temple floor before offering prayers, fruits and sweets to the deity. They poured water on the idol and tried their best to give the Shiv temple all the fervour it deserved on Mahashivratri.
The reason why they did all this was even more heartwarming. They wanted to bring back the Pandits who have remained separated from their homeland for over two decades now. Imtiaz Ahmad, a local contractor who led the prayers said, “That is why we entered the temple. We did it. We did whatever we could since we are Muslims, not Pandits. In our humble way, we performed Puja here.”
All the Muslim locals came together and urged the Kashmiri Pandits to come back home and look after the deserted temple that belongs to them. They held Placards in their hands asking their fellow neighbours to return as soon as possible.
The love expressed by the local Muslims was immense. A local, Mansoor Ahmad, told NDTV, “They are part of our body and soul which has been snatched and separated from us. Today, we are sending a message to them. Please return, we are with you.”
This act of religious harmony from the Kashmiri Muslims has yet again proven the fact that India will always stand united. No matter how much hatred is spread for the sake of some ugly power-hungry politics, the special bond of affection shared by we Indians will always remain the same.
We would like to thank NDTV for covering this positive news. Do let us know what you think about this small yet powerful act of brotherhood from the Kashmiri Muslims in our comments section below.