The celebrations on Milad-un-Nabi, the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammed, in Tirupati stood as a symbol of communal harmony.
After elaborate prayers at the Pedda Masjid or ‘Pedda Peerla Chavadi’, the event was marked by distribution of food to the public, which happened close to Panchamukha Anjaneya Swamy temple. The temple and the mosque are located a few feet apart and the ‘Langar’ (distribution of anna prasadam) programme by the mosque is always held near the temple’s compound wall.
At the event, organised by Din-e-Milad Tehreek Association, B. Abhinay Reddy, Deputy Mayor of Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT), participated as the chief guest along with Sayyed Shafi Ahmed Qadari, the state-appointed Qazi of Tirupati, and distributed food to the public.
“Tirupati is a revered place for Hindus and we have been living in harmony here for centuries. This has been the practice during Langar for the last twenty years. Our celebrations are never confined to the Pedda Peerla Chavadi and always spilled over to the temple vicinity,” observed the Qazi. Passers-by, irrespective of their faiths, participated in the event and accepted the offering.