Muslim village head builds a temple in Mathura district

Mathura, Mar 9: In a shining example of communal harmony, a Muslim village head has constructed a temple in Sahaar village of the district. The construction of the temple started about eight months ago and religious ceremony related to opening of the temple was performed yesterday.

"Pran Pratishtha (religious ceremony) of deity Shiv Ji and Hanuman Ji was performed amidst chanting of Vedic hymns on Sunday," Ajmal Ali Sheikh, the Sahaar village head who has constructed the temple said today.

"Few rooms adjacent to temple for the use of priest and other visitors would be constructed shortly," Sheikh said, claiming that he had spent over four lakhs from his pocket for the construction. He said that he was feeling the need of a temple in Nagla Gajai area of the Sahar village since long. "It grew more last year when I saw ladies coming to village Sahaar on the occasion of Shiv Ratri to pay their obeisance to deity, after travelling about four kilometers”, Sheikh stated.

Congratulating Shiekh for constructing the temple, former UP minister Laxhmi Narayan Choudhary said, "This is a commendable work and it will certainly bring both the communities together." Choudhary has represented the Chhatta assembly constituency three times earlier. The harmony between both the communities is an example for others, villagers said.

The commendable work of Ajmal Ali Sheikh is being lauded by villagers of not only Nagla Gajai area but also by neighbouring villages also. "It is real work in the direction of bringing both the communities closer," Zahid Ali of neighbouring Dautana village said.

PTI