Ulemas visit Hindu temple in Coimbatore, call for peace and calm

The famous Sangameswarar Temple or the Kottai Eswaran Temple in communally sensitive Ukkadam in Coimbatore, is the in centre of storm created after a LPG cylinder exploded inside a car outside the temple on October 23.

On Thursday, the centuries-old temple whose presiding deity is Lord Shiva welcomed ulemas of three mosques in Kottai Medu for a dialogue with Hindu priests as part of their efforts to maintain “peace and tranquility” between the communities following the blast.

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The priests of the temple warmly welcomed their Muslim brethren, felicitated them with shawls, and took them inside the premises where they held a meeting for about 30 minutes. The reason for their visit, both sides said, was aimed at reducing the tension prevailing in communally sensitive areas in Coimbatore, which was rocked by serial blasts in 1998.

The jamaat representatives also invited the priests to visit mosques in Kottai Medu area to send a clear message to everyone that there can be “no division between Hindus and Muslims” in Coimbatore, while stressing that Islam doesn’t endorse violence.

In a brief interaction with the media, Idayathullah, one of the ulemas, appealed to political parties not to “politicize” or “communalize” the blast. “We are spiritual people. Allow us to live in peace,” he said. Coimbatore is a communally sensitive city especially after the 1998 serial blasts that killed over 50 people and leaders from different communities are now working to ensure that peace is not disturbed.

It was just yards away from the temple that Jameesha Mubin, the 29-year-old engineering graduate, died on the spot after a LPG cylinder inside the car he was driving exploded on October 23 on the eve of Deepavali. It is not known whether Mubin triggered the explosion, though the Tamil Nadu Police hasn’t ruled out terror angle to the blast. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is now probing the incident.

Several Muslim organisations condemned the blast and declared their support to the district administration to maintain peace and harmony between all religions.

“There was palpable tension between several communities after the incident. We, Muslims, have been living in Kottai Medu for the past 200 hours along with our (Hindu) brothers and sisters. We strongly condemn the car blast, and we reiterate that Islam never propagates violence. We believe in peace and brotherhood,” Idayathullah said.

The visit by representatives of mosques to the temple comes days after Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai offered prayers before Sangameswarar and sang Kandha Shashti Kavasam, a devotional hymn in praise of Lord Murugan.

Idayathullah also said people from the majority and minority communities are living together with amity and their visit to the temple was to foster religious harmony. “The priests were happy to receive us at the temple and we want to send a message to people of the state that Coimbatore is the place for religious peace and harmony. We will not give any space for extremism,” he added.