GADAG: Halakere Annadana Samsthan Mutt’s Muppin Basavalinga seer has invited Muslims to attend the month-long discourses on ‘Basava Purana’ and other rituals at the mutt in Gajendragad. Muslims have accepted the invitation and agreed to participate in the event in large numbers.
The seer visited Jamia Masjid at Gajendragad on Friday and invited Muslims to participate in the event to be held from November 25.
He said the aim of the event is to promote peace and harmony in society. Britishers divided people in the name of caste and religion and now the mutt wants to unite them through such events.
Takked Dargah Hazarat Nizamuddin Ashrafi of the masjid said, “We should take an oath to live in peace and harmony henceforth. We are all Indians, but bigots always try to divide us and we should resist their attempts unitedly.”
Siddappa Bandi, Gajendragad Veerashaiva-Lingayat Sangha president, said seating arrangements have been made for 10,000 people and prasada will be distributed to all during the month-long event. Thousands of devotees from Gadag and nearby districts will participate in this unique event.
Arun Kulkarni, Chidambar, and other devotees of the mutt said Muslims have agreed to participate in the event in large numbers and they felicitated the seer for his plan to organise the event. Earlier this year too, Gajendragad district made headlines when it was revealed that a sculptor, Muttanna Alawandi, from the district worked at Ram Mandir (Ayodhya) for two months.