Jaipur: A day before Id-ul-Fitr, an18th-century painting began trending on Twitter. A war of words followed between liberals and Hindu hardliners. In the painting, Krishna and Balram are shown gesturing towards the sky to a group of people. Those on the liberal side, hailed it as a symbol of cultural tolerance and inclusiveness interpreting that Krishna was pointing the Id moon to rozedars, while the Hindu hardliners came up with counter narratives and called it a fake.
That debate notwithstanding, Rajasthan actually boasts of religious shrines, deities and practices shared by Hindus and Muslims, leaving no scope for ambiguity about communal harmony existing between the two communities for centuries.
The best example of Hindu-Muslim syncretism is Ramdevra, 12 km from Pokhran in western Rajasthan. Both Hindus and Muslims throng the shrine in August every year. Hindus call the deity Ramdev Baba and believe he is incarnation of Krishna, while Muslims of the Meghwal community venerate him as Ramsa or Ramapir blessed by Pancha-Pir after being convinced of his miraculous powers.
People of the Meghwal community in border districts of Jaisalmer and Barmer came from Pakistan and keep rozas (fast) during the holy month of Ramzan. They are followers of Rajput saint Pir Pithora, whose shrine is in Multan. He himself was a follower of Baha-ud-Din Zakariya.
If that fails to surprise, consider this: The temple of goddess Durga in Bhopalgarh near Jodhpur has a Muslim priest for centuries.
Jamaludin Khan, the temple’s octogenarian head priest, said, “My family has been serving as the head priest in this temple for the past 600 years. I am the 13th generation and for the past 50 years, I am the head priest here. People from all communities come here to offer prayers.”
In the east, the shrine of Sayyed Darbar and Sankat Mochan Vir Hanuman Mandir atop Moti Doongri in Jaipur is the epitome of Hindu-Muslim unity. Here, not even a wall separates the two structures. It is hard to believe that these exist in Alwar — a place synonymous with dairy farmer owner Pehlu Khan’s lynching by gau rakshaks in April 2017. Devotees enter through the temple gate with folded hands and as they proceed towards the dargah, they cover their heads and bend to kiss the grave.
Offerings at both places come from a common thali and same musical instruments and sound system are used for bhajans as well as qawwalis. The compound has flags in saffron and green furling together, with a 30-metre Tricolour installed in front of the hill.
Who can imagine that celebration of Krishna’s birth is held in a sacred place for Muslims? A three-day Janmashtami festival is held at the Dargah of Narhar, near Chirawa, in Jhunjhunu district. “This festival is being held here for the past 300 to 400 years,”dargah secretary Usman Ali Pathan claimed.
In Jhunjhunu, Kayamkhani Muslims use Rajput surnames such as Rathore. The community members consider themselves to be descendants of Rajputs.
Similarly, Mehrat, Kathat and Cheeta communities follow mixed identities and customs. They take the pheras during weddings along with the nikaah and also follow Muslim practices.
But, even in this time of communal discord there are rare yet reassuring gestures of India's unique blend of social and communal harmony. Kota, the sangh's oldest lab of Hindutva witnessed the incredible moment when Muslims in Kolida village in Sikar district donated two2 bighas land from their abandoned graveyard to construct a temple of local goddess Surjal Mata two years ago.
