இந்துக்கோவிலுக்கு முஸ்லீம் பூஜாரி

இந்துக்கோவிலுக்கு முஸ்லீம் பூஜாரி

A Muslim priest in Kashmir's Hindu temple
Vivek Suri
27 June 2007, Wednesday

The age-old harmony between Hindus and Muslims in Kashmir is still alive and demonstrated by people like Ghulam Mohammad Shiekh, who has been performing the duties of a priest in a famous Shiva temple for the last 17 years.





IN THIS MILITANCY stricken valley, where some ‘outsiders’ are leaving no stone unturned to widen the divide between Muslims and Hindus, a Muslim has been looking after a Shiva temple for the last 17 years. By uttering verses from the Quran and shlokas from the Gita with same fluency and devotion everyday, he presents a unique example of secularism and communal harmony in Kashmir.



Ghulam Mohammad Shiekh is the priest of the 92-year old Shiva temple at Gulmarg. The temple houses a Shiv Lingam and idol of Goddess Parvati. Everyday Shiekh performs all the rituals of a pujari including performing aarti and distributing prasad among devotees, who throng this ancient temple in big numbers, especially in summers when the place comes alive.



For him there is no difference between ‘Allah’ and ‘Bhagwan’. Being a Muslim he never forgets to perform namaz daily.



How a Muslim became the ‘pujari’ of a temple?



Shiekh’s father Gulam Rasool Shiekh was the Chowkidar of the temple and he rendered his services for about 40 years. Due to militancy when Kashmiri Pandits fled Kashmir, the temple was left abandoned; Shiekh started performing the duties of a pujari. From that point of time he has been looking after all the affairs related to the famous temple.



Shiekh had to pay the price for becoming the priest of temple. It was not an easy task for him. He was targeted by terrorists many a times in past, who threatened him to leave the job of priest. He was once kidnapped by the ultras, but it was his sheer good luck that he was released later on by them.



About the temple



This Shiva temple was actually the royal temple of Dogra kings of Jammu and Kashmir.



Also known as "Rani Temple" or "Maharani Temple", this is situated on a small hillock in the centre of Gulmarg. The unique thing about this royal temple is the fact that it can be seen from all the corners of Gulmarg. The Maharani temple also known as Mohineshwar Shivalalaya was built by Mohini Bai Sisodhia, the wife of the erstwhile ruler of Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh (the last king of Kashmir) in 1915. Mohini Bai Sisodhia was the daughter of Maharaja Mohandev of Dharampur. When the last Dogra king was spending his time in Gulmarg in his royal palace, a couple of kilometers from the temple, his queen used to come here to worship Lord Shiva. Infact, she stayed here for months and worshiped Lord Shiva in this temple.



The temple remains open everyday from 6am to 9pm. Aarti is performed twice a day for devotees.



The Dagger Division, headquartered at Baramulla renovated the temple in 1998. Now this is being managed by the Jammu and Kashmir Dharmarth Trust headed by Dr Karan Singh, son of Maharaja Hari Singh.