The mosque and the temple at Mohammadpur village. Telegraph picture

Jagatsinghpur, Oct. 7: At a time when the Ayodhya issue is creating waves across the country, a remote village in Orissa’s Jagatsinghpur district houses a Hindu temple and a mosque situated at a stone’s throw distance from each other.

“Mohammadpur village is a classic example of religious tolerance and communal amity,” said Bhagaban Jena, an educationist.

“In Ayodhya, conflict raged over the issue of mandir and masjid. But in our village, places of worships of both Hindus and Muslims co-exist. We have been living like brothers and sisters for generations. There is no history of communal trouble in our village,” a resident said.

“When the Ayodhya verdict was pronounced, there was absolute calm in the village. We were not bothered about the outcome of the judgment. We wondered why there is so hype over the issue. We have a temple and a masjid here in close proximity. Never has there been a dispute over it,” said Babaji Moharana, another local, with a tinge of pride.

“Few years ago, the village panchayat paid respect to an unanimous opinion of villagers and built a road that separates the two religious places. The road connects some households on the backyard of the temple and the mosque,” said Rafiq Amin, another resident of the village. “The separation was made for public convenience, not because of any religious divide,” Amin added.

“A Muslim feudatory Zamindar Syed Afsar Ali was the builder of the Kirtijari temple more than 100 years ago. He donated land and funds for the temple building. The mosque also came up during the same time. These places of worships have been coexisting since then,” said Syed Abu Kalam, chief of a local madrasa.

“Muslims recite namaz while Hindus offer puja at the temple at the same time. The sounds of the puja rituals do not disturb us. We have become accustomed to it now,” said 90-year-old Mir Ali, another villager.

The village, which has about 800 households, includes about 200 Muslim families.

“Despite being the minority, we are treated with respect by the Hindus. Religious barrier has never come in the way of harmonious relationship between Hindus and Muslims. Muslims take part in Id-ul-juha and Ramzan festivals while we also actively participate in major Hindu festivals,” Mir Gulam Hussain, who heads the Village Peace Committee and Bazar Committee.