Muslims look after this 300-year-old Lord Shiva temple in Murshidabad

KOLKATA: Communal harmony is the essence of Murshidabad’s Bhattabati village. The ancient 300-year-old terracotta Shiv Mandir is the place where all religious boundaries fade away. The temple of Lord Shiva, who is worshipped here as Baba Ratneswar, is being looked after by the Muslims of this village, who not only perform the daily tasks but also look after its upkeep.
Meet Azarul Sheikh and Sadek Sheik, who work in tandem with Ananta Hajra and Asim Das in seeking donations for the Shiv temple for different festivals and its restoration work. Religion for these men is not a barrier at all.
The distance of Bhattabati village is just 5 kms from Lalbag Sadar Ghat. When leaflets for donations are printed, names of Noor Selim, Azarul, Sadek find place alongside Ananta Hajra and other Hindu devotees.
It was in the year 1494 when Sultan Alauddin Hussain Shah became the ruler of Bengal. During his time atleast 1200 Brahmin families came to settle in Bengal from Karnataka. It’s not known who exactly built this temple. But it’s assumed any family member of Second Kanungo Jaynarayan built this Shiv temple.
The present condition of the temple is not good. The exclusive terracotta craftsmanship has whithered away with time.
The original Shiv Linga which measured about five feet in height was once stolen. Later it was recovered by police of Nabagram. Citing security reasons that Shiv Linga is now in police custody.
Accounts keeper of Mandir Committee, Ananta Hajra said, "We are very poor people. Most of the Hindu families have left the village. Without the help and assistance of Muslim brothers of this area it wouldn’t have been possible to continue puja and other works of the temple.’
Abdul Sheikh said religion has never posed any threat to the harmony they share in this village. They have not learnt to make any difference.
Read this story in Bengali