03-10-2005, 08:36 AM
Deccan Chronicle,
March 9, 2005
<b>Muslim woman builds Hindu temple</b>
Lucknow, March 9: Shivaratri, on Tuesday, was special this year for the people of Varanasi and a memorable one for those who believe in Hindu-Muslim amity. Noor Fatima, a Muslim lawyer, has built a temple for Lord Shiva in the Rudra Vihar colony in Ganeshpur locality of Varanasi that was dedicated to the devotees on Shivratri by Justice Tarun Chatterjee. The temple, known as Rudreshwar Mahadev temple, was built in a record time of three months by Noor Fatima who personally supervised the construction work of the temple, along with her two daughters, Roshini and Khushboo. Fatima told reporters in Varanasi on Tuesday that some months ago, Lord Shiva had appeared in her dreams and asked her to build a temple for him. âAs a devout Muslim, I was confused about this dream. I consulted many religious leaders and Hindu dharama-charyas and asked them about the significance of this dream. Then suddenly, there were some untimely deaths in the family, including that of my husband, Murad Ali Khan, who died in a road accident. Finally, I decided I would obey the command of the Lord and began temple construction with a paltry sum of Rs 5,000,â she recalled. According to Fatima, as soon as she started the task of temple construction, she was flooded with support both monetary and moral â from people belonging to Hindu as well as Muslim communities. âSuddenly, there was no dearth of money and resources and the temple got built within a record time of three months,â Fatima told this correspondent.
âAs the work progressed, I found myself more and more at peace with circumstances and now I find myself completely relaxed and free from tension,â she said. On Tuesday,<b> the people of Varanasi saw Fatima and her two daughters performing Vedic rituals with just the right touch of devotional fervour as the priests recited mantras and the crowds chanted Har Har Mahadev. </b>And within 24 hours of the pran pratishtha (installation of the Godâs idol) at the Shiva temple, the temple has already being christened as âNoor Wala Mandir.â Perhaps, this is the most befitting tribute to Hindu-Muslim amity in the strife-ridden society in the country today.
March 9, 2005
<b>Muslim woman builds Hindu temple</b>
Lucknow, March 9: Shivaratri, on Tuesday, was special this year for the people of Varanasi and a memorable one for those who believe in Hindu-Muslim amity. Noor Fatima, a Muslim lawyer, has built a temple for Lord Shiva in the Rudra Vihar colony in Ganeshpur locality of Varanasi that was dedicated to the devotees on Shivratri by Justice Tarun Chatterjee. The temple, known as Rudreshwar Mahadev temple, was built in a record time of three months by Noor Fatima who personally supervised the construction work of the temple, along with her two daughters, Roshini and Khushboo. Fatima told reporters in Varanasi on Tuesday that some months ago, Lord Shiva had appeared in her dreams and asked her to build a temple for him. âAs a devout Muslim, I was confused about this dream. I consulted many religious leaders and Hindu dharama-charyas and asked them about the significance of this dream. Then suddenly, there were some untimely deaths in the family, including that of my husband, Murad Ali Khan, who died in a road accident. Finally, I decided I would obey the command of the Lord and began temple construction with a paltry sum of Rs 5,000,â she recalled. According to Fatima, as soon as she started the task of temple construction, she was flooded with support both monetary and moral â from people belonging to Hindu as well as Muslim communities. âSuddenly, there was no dearth of money and resources and the temple got built within a record time of three months,â Fatima told this correspondent.
âAs the work progressed, I found myself more and more at peace with circumstances and now I find myself completely relaxed and free from tension,â she said. On Tuesday,<b> the people of Varanasi saw Fatima and her two daughters performing Vedic rituals with just the right touch of devotional fervour as the priests recited mantras and the crowds chanted Har Har Mahadev. </b>And within 24 hours of the pran pratishtha (installation of the Godâs idol) at the Shiva temple, the temple has already being christened as âNoor Wala Mandir.â Perhaps, this is the most befitting tribute to Hindu-Muslim amity in the strife-ridden society in the country today.