Ahmedabad: Even as the State is known to be a Hindutva laboratory, a temple in North Gujarat’s Vadgam taluka, on Friday evening invited Muslim rozedaars to offer namaz and break their fast, for iftaari.
Over 100 Muslim residents of the village in Vadgam taluka were invited to offer Maghrib Namaz and break their fast during the Ramzan month around 7 pm on the premises of Varanda Vir Maharaj Mandir, a 1,200-year-old temple holding great social and religious significance for the people of Dalvana.
Pankaj Thakar, 55, the priest at the said Varanda Vir Maharaj temple, claimed that the temple premise was opened for Muslim brethren to break their fasts “for the first time by any temple anywhere else.”
He explains to the media that the Varanda Vir Maharaj temple was a historic site and a popular tourist destination. It is often that the dates of Hindu and Muslim festivals clash, and they ensured that the villagers help one another. “This year, the temple trust and gram panchayat decided to invite the Muslim rozedars to our temple premises to break their fast. We arranged for five to six types of fruits, dates and sherbet for over 100 Muslim rozedars of our village. I personally welcomed the Maulana sahib of our local mosque today,” said Thakar.
According to the 2011 Census, Dalvana has a population of 2,500, mainly comprising Rajput, Patel, Prajapati, Devipujak and Muslim communities. Muslims consist of around 50 families usually engaged in farming and business. Dalvana Sarpanch Pinkyba Rajput said, “During Ramnavami and Holi festivals, our Muslim brothers helped us so we thought that this year, we should do the same for them. Our village is an example of social harmony for the entire country.”
Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani said, “I am happy that the people of my constituency have mutual respect for each other’s faith. It is the need of the hour.”
