JAMMU — Setting an example of communal harmony, a Muslim family has donated six kanals of their cultivable land for construction of an approach road to an ancient temple in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ghulam Rasool, one of the four brothers in the family, said their decision to voluntarily hand over the land for constructing road for the Gupt Kashi Gauri Shankar temple was warmly welcomed by both the communities.
“We have been living together in peace and brotherhood for centuries… It is our responsibility to understand each other’s compulsions, extend support and always maintain brotherhood for progress and development of our country,” Rasool, a former deputy sarpanch, said.
Located at a distance of 10 km from the Reasi district headquarters, the Shiv temple — known as Chhota Kashi — at the Kashi Patta village was built by Dogra ruler Maharaja Gulab Singh on the banks of the Chenab river in the eighteenth century. A cremation ground is also present within the temple complex.
The only approach leading to the temple was a trek passing along a stream through the fields. Besides Rasool’s family, several other Hindu families also donated their land for the construction of the road.
“Some years back, I saw a devotee returning without paying obeisance at the temple due to the overflowing stream during monsoon. I felt very bad and decided to do something to ensure a proper road to the temple,” Rasool, who worked in a local court for over 15 years, told PTI.
