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For the first time in the history of the Udupi Sri Krishna Temple, members of the Muslim community attended an Iftar organised at the temple on Saturday night. Over 150 members of the community participated in the ‘Souharda Upahara Koota’ (harmony breakfast meet) held at the temple’s Annabrahma Dining Hall, ahead of Eid.
The event was proposed by Vishwesha Tirtha Swami of Paryaya Pejawar Mutt, who is currently in his fifth paryaya (a religious ritual which takes place every alternate year in the Sri Krishna Matha of Udupi), The Hindu reported. The members of the Muslim community, who had gathered in the hall, broke their fast at 6.59 pm.
The seer urged the people of Karnataka to live in peace and harmony. The seer, who has been closely associated with right-wing Hindutva group, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, said:
“Karnataka, especially in the coastal areas, must become an area which is peaceful and set an example for the state to be tolerant. All of us are children of the same creator,” he said.
In his third paryaya, 30 years ago, the seer organised a Hindu-Muslim Sammelan during the Eid festival at Rajangana Hall in Udupi.
The seer said:
After breaking the fast, members performed namaz on the second floor of the dining hall building under the guidance of Maulana Innayatullah, Imam of Anjuman Masjid.
MA Gafoor, the khateeb of Anjuman Masjid, who is also the chairman of the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation, said that the message of peace and harmony, which began in Udupi, must be spread throughout the world.
Sri Sri Vishwaprasanna Theertha, the junior Pejawar Swamiji, Rahim Uchil from the BJP’s Minority cell, Gurme Suresh Shetty of BJP, Ansar Ahmed of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, and Abid Ali from the Congress party were also present for the iftar. MA Gafoor said:
Also Read: NDA Ministers Skip Iftar Hosted by President At Rashtrapati Bhavan
(This story was published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
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