Gaya mosque comes alive with Hindu caretakers

By Surya Pratap Singh

e of Hindu and Muslim amity that exits in many parts of the country, Hindu families in Gaya village take care of their village mosque with full respect, even when the place is devoid of any Muslim.

Located in Hatia Village near Sherghati in Bihar’s Gaya District, the barren mosque happens to be the only mosque in Hatia, a Hindu dominated village. The mosque was in ruins for long.

Disappointed to notice dilapidated state of the mosque, a few Hindu families under the guidance of Kishori Singh, 65, took initiative and had the mosque repaired.

The noble gesture of Hindu brethrens has motivated the Muslims, residing in neighbouring villages to visit the mosque for their daily Namaaz (prayers).

“We are thankful to Kishori Singh who got the mosque repaired. It was in a bad condition, as its walls had cracked. It had no gate. There was water-logging inside. Today, the place is in a better condition and, hopefully, it will be further repaired,” said Sarfaraz Ahmed, a Muslim devotee from a nearby village.

Kishori Singh, however, believes the residents in his Hatia Village have great faith in the mosque since it is a place of worship and the Supreme Lord is same no matter we address Him as “Allah” or “Bhagwan”.

Kishori said: “We, the residents of Hatia, go to many mosques. For us, both temple and mosque are equally revered places.”

“It is shameful that people fight in the name of religion and caste. In our area, everyone lives in complete harmony. For us, God is one,” said Ravi Ranjan, another villager.

In India, Islam is the second-most practiced religion after Hinduism.

There are approximately 174 million Muslims in India or 16.4 per cent of the total population. The county has the second largest population of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. (ANI)

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