Two Muslim men from the village volunteered to serve as members of the Hindu temple development committee, and one of them decided to donate an acre of land to the temple.
Posted Date – 12:15 AM, Sun – 12/11/22
Surya pets: In a time when religion was used to create rifts between people,
Yerravaram village in Kodad mandal is setting an example of community harmony. Two Muslim men from the village volunteered to serve as members of the Hindu temple development committee, and one of them decided to donate an acre of land to the temple.
Not long ago, the people of Yerravaram discovered the deity Bala Narsimha Swamy on a rock on top of a hill in the village. The villagers, regardless of religion or caste, have sworn to build a black stone temple there.
Of the 18 members of the temple development committee, two are Muslims, Syed Masthan and Syed Latheef, who actually dedicate their Fridays to the temple’s devotees. They distribute prasadam and regulate the flow of devotees in the queue.
That’s not all. Masthan decided to donate an acre of land to the temple. The committee had asked a farmer whose land was next to a small hill to donate his land for the development of a believer’s facility. When the farmer refused, Masthan persuaded him, promising him that he would give him an acre of land worth Rs 3.5 lakh as compensation for his loss.
Speaking to Telangana Today, Latheef said there was initial concern that he would be on the committee. But he believed in Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy and would go to the mosque every Friday for namaz, thus reassuring the villagers that his intentions were good and for the good of the village.
Yerravaram village is about 15 kilometers away from Kodad town and has a population of only 1,200. Most of the villagers live on agriculture due to the fertile land and irrigation facilities.
Between 6,000 and 7,000 devotees from surrounding villages came to the temple to take part in the darshan on Friday, as young people from the village now leave their fields to rest and offer services at the temple.
The Temple Development Committee has more interesting members. The chairman of the committee was N Jagannadham, an atheist but now a die-hard believer.
Jagannadham said the design of the temple is almost complete and plans to spend Rs 20 crore to complete the temple structure. Members of about 50 Muslim families from the village also visited the temple on Friday, he said.
