MALAPPURAM: Setting an example of communal harmony, two temple committees in Malappuram organised mass Iftar for Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan.
Committees of the Sree Puthuveppu Manaliyarkavu Bhagavathi temple in Othalur and Chathangadu Sree Maha Vishnu Temple in Vaniyannur near Tirur hosted the mass Iftar on the premises of the respective temple grounds on April 7 and March 28, respectively.
Both events saw the mass participation of Muslim believers. “It was an initiative taken by a group of
youngsters in the area. Our aim is to strengthen the bond between people from the Hindu and Muslim communities. Religious harmony is important and we want to celebrate every festival together in a peaceful and jovial atmosphere,” said Krishnan Pavittapuram, secretary of the Sree Puthuveppu Manaliyarkavu Bhagavathi temple.
No space for hatred, says IUML leader
Dijith K, one of the youngsters behind the feast, said a person from the Muslim community had sponsored the annadanam during the temple’s annual installation festival, which fell during Ramadan this year. “We will continue to organise the mass Iftar in the coming years,” Dijith said.
For the Chathangadu Sree Maha Vishnu Temple, this is the second Iftar they have hosted.
“Like the previous year, people from the Muslim community could not attend the annadanam this year as our annual installation festival fell during the Ramzan month. So, we organised the mass Iftar a day after the annual festival. We will organise it next year if the date of the annual installation festival falls during Ramzan month,” said Lakshmanan K K, temple committee secretary.
Panakkad Rasheed Ali Shihab Thangal, an IUML leader who attended the Iftar at Vaniyannur, appreciated the temple’s move.
“The temple has set a model for others to follow. All communities should live in harmony in the country. We should move forward while respecting and helping each other. There should be no space for hatred in our hearts,” he said.