Mohaideen Andavar Jumma Mosque built with donations from Hindus

Coconuts were broken at the entrance. Villagers presented seer varisai (an array of gifts neatly placed inside plates) and Rs 5,001 in cash as a token of their love. This is how Hindu religious events are celebrated in most parts of Tamil Nadu.

But the only difference is the above happened on December 18 at the inauguration of a new mosque in Panangudi village in Sivaganga district, showing the mirror to fellow citizens on fostering religious amity.

Hindus and Christians of the village not just attended the inauguration of the mosque which was built after razing a centuries-old dilapidated structure, but also donated money and actively participated in the construction of the religious structure.

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The inauguration ceremony of the Mohaideen Andavar Jumma Mosque, which is over 250 years old, was a get-together of sorts with natives living in several parts of the country coming down to meet friends and relatives.

The procession by Hindus began from the Periyanayagi Amman Temple after paying obeisance to the presiding deity and the seer varisai consisted of kalkandu, dates, and other items along with Rs 5,001 in cash as a “gift” from the village.

“Without active participation and generous donations from Hindus and Christians, we couldn’t have completed construction in just a year. Our village has always been a Samathuvapuram (place of equality), and we showed to the world once again on Sunday what religious harmony can achieve,” Abdul Razak, head of the mosque building committee, told DH.

Swami Das, head of Panangudi village, told DH that religious harmony has been entrenched in the village for the past couple of centuries and people celebrate all festivals together. Even at the foundation laying ceremony for the mosque in September 2021, Hindus poured milk and water inside a deep pit, dug to mark the beginning of the construction, Das added.

“We were given a warm reception when we entered the mosque premises in a procession. Our gifts were accepted with much love and we had our lunch together. We are proud that we still live as one family though we belong to different faiths,” Das said.

Muslims are now a minority in the village with most of them migrating to Chennai, but Razak says there has never been a problem between people from different faiths living there. After the seer varisai was presented to the mosque management, the villagers indulged in a feast which included both meat and vegetarian fares.

The committee has so far spent Rs 70 lakh on the construction of the mosque and plans to spend another Rs 80 lakh on erecting structures around the place of worship.

“Hindus and Christians didn’t just donate money but gave their valuable time and hard work. They arranged for construction materials when we couldn’t source them and helped us in every way they could,” Razak added.

Das said the Periyanayagi Amman temple, the newly established mosque, and a church are located within 150 metres from each other which is another example of how the village maintains its unity. “We don’t fight over anything and we live as one family,” he added.