Love for Lord Rama inspires Muslim man to build temple for deity in Khammam

Khammam:  Since ages India has been known for religious harmony and peaceful coexistence of people of different faiths. Upholding such a character of the nation, a Muslim has built a temple dedicated to Lord Rama at Budidampadu village of Raghunathapalem mandal in Khammam district. He spent around Rs 25 lakh from his own pocket for […]

Khammam:  Since ages India has been known for religious harmony and peaceful coexistence of people of different faiths.

Upholding such a character of the nation, a Muslim has built a temple dedicated to Lord Rama at Budidampadu village of Raghunathapalem mandal in Khammam district. He spent around Rs 25 lakh from his own pocket for the purpose. Meet Shaik Meera Saheb, the sarpanch of Budidampadu, who set an example of communal harmony and brotherhood. What motivated him to initiate the project was the lack of a permanent religious structure to perform annual ‘Seetharama Kalyanam’ at the village.

“I used to get upset when ‘Seetharama Kalyanam’ is performed under a tent temporarily erected at the village every year to conduct the event for the past 30 years. I proposed to build a temple for Lord Rama but the villagers lacked initiative and the project did not make any progress. Then I decided to shoulder the responsibility of building the temple”, he said.

A couple of years ago he embarked on the task of constructing ‘Sri Seetha Ramachandraswamy Temple’ on his own. But due to Covid pandemic and other reasons the construction has been delayed but gained momentum in the last one year. The temple is now ready for inauguration.

Speaking to Telangana Today Meera Saheb stated that he believes in the unity of all religions and that is what prompted to take up the task. Three brothers in the village Biksha, Halla and Konya donated a piece of 1000 square yards of land to build the temple. On seeing the temple going ahead the villagers too have collectively donated an amount of Rs 25 lakh and a little over Rs 50 lakh was spent on the construction of the temple, the two-time sarpanch of the village explained.

An interesting aspect here is, it was Meera Saheb, who personally monitored the construction of the temple either hiring workers or purchasing material. He even spent his time curing the structure as it was being built. When asked whether his family had any qualms about his initiative he said initially they had raised objections at a Muslim constructing a Hindu temple adding that he strictly told them to stay out of his business. Understanding his seriousness they let him do what he was doing.

Inspired by ‘Sri Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Temple’ built at Budidampadu, the residents in nearby villages in the mandal are now planning to build temples in their villages, Meera Saheb informed, adding that Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar also appreciated his work.

The consecration ceremony of the temple is scheduled to take place on June 23 in a grand manner and Meera Saheb offered Rs 2 lakh towards ‘Annadanam’ on the day.