Taking communal harmony to an all-new level, two vaults in Elavaramkuzhi, a village in Kollam, about 70 km from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, stand cheek by jowl on the same platform bearing the features of different religions. The Juma Masjid and Mahadeva Temple, 250 metres apart, share a long history of mutual respect and brotherhood, a bond that no propaganda breaks. The decision to install the vaults side by side was taken unanimously, and they came into being six months ago.
“Both the mosque and temple had separate vaults and we demolished them both to construct the new ones to set an example. We constituted a common committee for the construction and Shaji Shanmukham, a resident, donated the land for the purpose. As per the property deeds, the land now belongs jointly, to the mosque and temple,” says M. Ashraf, secretary of the mosque committee. Now devotees make contributions to both the boxes.
This is not the first time the two religious places collaborated. About two years ago, they had constructed a common arch on the main road that leads to both the places of worship. Called ‘mathasauharda kavadam’ (harmony gateway), the structure displays verses and scriptures belonging to both religions. “Elavaramkuzhi is an interior area, but it has a very strong secular character. It’s the temple committee who first serves us sweets during the Eid procession,” he adds.
