South of Himalayas is human laboratory for sociology and culture. For thousands of years thousands of people have delivered their messages regarding ways to live and attain divinity. Most of us forget that most of the time.
Today I came across a news regarding on Bhagylakshmi temple near Charminar in Hyderabad. Government in Andhra Pradesh has banned ringing of bell in Sri Bhagyalakshmi Temple in Char Minar area in Bhagyanagar. The Government has also imposed ban on performing ‘Maha-aarti’ and has deployed police force to implement the ban. Police personals have been deployed to hold the bells!
Whats more surprising is in an article, one Mr. J. S. IFTHEKHAR writes that ASI should shift the temple! http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article1097178.ece
What they forget is, in the city of Muslims, in the area of Muslims, a temple at the base of Charminar would not have cropped up after building of Charminar! Surly Charminar would have been built wantedly and knowingly close to the temple . . . or might be . . . very much possible, after demolishing the temple . . . and now they want the temple to be shifted!!!
I wouldn't support shifting of any of the structures, rather what would have been constructive and secular as well is, government should have declared the Charminar with the Bhagylakshmi temple as the heritage and recommended so to the UNESCO as well! although the Charminar and temple are so closely situated that they are inseperable and the property which has been declared as heritage by UNESCO also includes the temple, but name of the temple is missing from the documents!
In Hyderabad, "Old City" and "communally sensitive" are perceptually, permanently, conjoined.
It doesn't matter who you talk to -- hotel managers, cab drivers (including Mohammad Bashir, himself a Muslim, but quick to point out that he does not live in the Old City), journalists, whoever -- they all say it like that: "communally sensitive Old City". Some say it with rueful tolerance, as pointing to a particularly troublesome member of the family; some with an undertone of embarrassed disgust, as if wishing this blot on Hyderabad's reputation as a budding cyber capital would somehow just go away; some say it matter of fact. "Communally sensitive Old City...".
Charminar is famous for many things, which cater to all the needs of the people of Hyderabad. In its heyday, the Charminar market had some 14,000 shops. Today the famous markets known as Laad Baazar and Pather Gatti, near the Charminar, are a favour, of tourists and locals alike for jewellery, especially known for exquisite bangles and pearls respectively. During the season of Sankranthi, the area is completely crowded with vendors selling kites. And there is nothing around Charminar and none come for shopping during Ramzan!
Charminar is famous for many things, which cater to all the needs of the people of Hyderabad. In its heyday, the Charminar market had some 14,000 shops. Today the famous markets known as Laad Baazar and Pather Gatti, near the Charminar, are a favour, of tourists and locals alike for jewellery, especially known for exquisite bangles and pearls respectively. During the season of Sankranthi, the area is completely crowded with vendors selling kites. And there is nothing around Charminar and none come for shopping during Ramzan!
"People can think what they want, but we Muslims have no problems with the Hindus here," says Mohammad Sayed, a young man who runs a fruit juice outlet bang opposite Mecca Masjid, the 400-year-old mosque adjacent the Charminar
Sayed points to a corner of the Charminar, visible from where we stand opposite Mecca Masjid. "Look there, that is a Hindu temple, part of the Charminar.
"Everyone outside the Old City says Hindus and Muslims have problems here, that this is a communally sensitive place. Who ek tharah ka fashion hai, saab," Sayed says. That is not true, we don't have any problems with the Hindus, all our problems are with the police, and with the government."
Today I came across a news regarding on Bhagylakshmi temple near Charminar in Hyderabad. Government in Andhra Pradesh has banned ringing of bell in Sri Bhagyalakshmi Temple in Char Minar area in Bhagyanagar. The Government has also imposed ban on performing ‘Maha-aarti’ and has deployed police force to implement the ban. Police personals have been deployed to hold the bells!
Whats more surprising is in an article, one Mr. J. S. IFTHEKHAR writes that ASI should shift the temple! http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/article1097178.ece
What they forget is, in the city of Muslims, in the area of Muslims, a temple at the base of Charminar would not have cropped up after building of Charminar! Surly Charminar would have been built wantedly and knowingly close to the temple . . . or might be . . . very much possible, after demolishing the temple . . . and now they want the temple to be shifted!!!
I wouldn't support shifting of any of the structures, rather what would have been constructive and secular as well is, government should have declared the Charminar with the Bhagylakshmi temple as the heritage and recommended so to the UNESCO as well! although the Charminar and temple are so closely situated that they are inseperable and the property which has been declared as heritage by UNESCO also includes the temple, but name of the temple is missing from the documents!
