By Shafee Ahmed Ko, TwoCircles.net,
Chennai: An interesting case of Hindus observing the mourning rituals of Muharram has come to light in a small village, Muthuvanthidal in Sivaganga district in Tamil Nadu.
The village consisting of 400 families from the majority community, does not have a single Muslim family; but the rituals of Muharram, such as walking on naked coal fire, which although is a familiar sight among Hindus, is maintained in this village each Muharram.
Early on Friday morning, 25 Hindu men walked over burning coal, the pit for which was dug about five days prior to Muharram. A Moulvi, Kader Basha, a former resident of the village who now lives in Thirupuvanam in Sivaganga district, initiated the rituals. As women do not walk over fire, they carry a basket of burning coal on their heads which they cover with a muslin cloth.
“God is above all and will never discriminate among people, so why should we discriminate among religions,” says Karnan, a resident of the village.
The Muslims who lived in the village, migrated elsewhere forty years ago to seek their livelihood. Raju who lives in the same village, narrates, “Dating back to 1960 the famine that struck the village and the Muslims moved around to different places seeking a better livelihood.”
The village also has a Dargah, the Fathima Nachiar Dargah, built by Muslims about 50 years ago but with Muslim families leaving, the Dargah became dilapidated; but the majority community of the village continued to go there and pray as they believed that Fathima Nachiar was Muthuvanthidal’s “guardian angel”.
After every harvest, products from the fields, like sugarcane, paddy and vegetables are offered at the Dargah, just like the offerings made at the local Mariamman temple.
“The only difference from a temple is that we do not see an idol here,” said Sujatha, a resident of the village”
It’s of great importance to note these rituals are totally desolate and devoid of in thickly populated Muslim regions such as Vellore, Ambur, Visharam, Pernampet, Vaniyambadi, Thirupathur,Trichy, Eruvadi(Tirunalveli Dist) and many more places to name in Tamil Nadu.