Rakesh Chaurasia/New Delhi
Syed Masthan of village Yerravaram of Kodad Mandal (district) of Telangana has donated one acre of his high yielding land priced at Rs 35 lakh for the construction of a temple. He along with another fellow Muslim villager, Syed Latheef is also a member of the temple development committee.
According to a report in Telangana Today, the villagers of Yerravaram found an idol of Bala Narasimha Swamy on the top of a hillock in the village recently.
All the villagers irrespective o religion and caste decided to build a black stone temple for the deity. In the 18-member Temple development committee, Syed Masthan and Syed Latheef are also included. Latheef and Masthan spend Friday, a day of prayers in Islami, serving the devotees in the temple. They distribute Prasadam and regulate the entry of devotees.
Masthan has decided to donate one acre of land for the temple. The committee had requested a farmer, whose land is situated on the side of the hill, to donate his land for the development of facilities for the devotees.
However, the said farmer refused, and Masthan decided to compensate him by giving him an alternate plot of land from his own. The price of the land he donated is Rs 35 lakh.
Speaking to Telangana Today, Latheef said that initially there were apprehensions about him becoming a committee member. But he believed in Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy and went to the mosque every Friday for prayers.
The village is situated about 15 kilometers from Kodad town. It has a population of 1,200 and most of them are agriculturists. The land is fertile and fully irrigated which leads to a good yield.
On Fridays, 6,000 to 7,000 devotees from nearby villages visit the temple, the youth of the village now take leave from the agricultural fields and render their services at the temple. There are other interesting members of the temple development committee.
Committee chairman N Jagannadham was an atheist but has now become a staunch devotee. Jagannadham said that the design for the temple was almost complete with plans to complete the structure of the temple for Rs 20 crore.
He said that members of about 50 Muslim families in the village also visit the temple on Fridays.
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