Srinagar

Muslims and Sikhs on Saturday set an example of communal harmony in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath, when the local gurudwara offered Muslims space to offer Eid prayers, Hindustan Times reported.

Muslims had gathered at a local ground in large numbers to offer prayers on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Adha, but could not proceed due to incessant overnight rains, the report said. This is when Gurudwara Singh Sabha stepped in and welcomed them to the Gurudwara, the report added. 

“Be it Hindus, Sikhs or Muslims we have a strong bonding in Joshimath. The senior management from the Gurudwara sahib and the Muslim community held a short meeting on Saturday morning and made quick arrangements for the prayers,” Buta Singh, manager, Shri Hemkund Sahib gurudwara, was quoted by HT as saying. More than 500 Muslims offered Namaaz in the retiring hall of the gurdwara, he said.

“The incessant rains for the past couple of days had rendered offering Bakr-Eid Namaaz at the traditional Gandh Maidan and local municipal board hall difficult. This led us to approach Govindghat-based gurdwara management committee senior manager Seva Singh for permission to offer Namaaz there. The gurdwara has ample space to accommodate sizable devout,” Salim Raja, an office bearer of Joshimath Muslim Committee, was quoted in the report as saying.

Joshimath falls in the Chamoli district home to revered Hindu shrine – Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, the Sikh Gurudwara.