A Maha Mrityunjaya Homam is likely to be conducted in Malappuram district of Kerala, and this time it is special because both Hindu and Muslim communities will participate in it. The ritual is being organized for the wellbeing of Indian soldiers in the country’s borders.
The homam will be held at the 400-year-old Sree Durga Bhagavathi Temple on November 4 and 5, and is meant to save soldiers from untimely deaths. The expenses of homam will be shared by prominent people of both the communities.
The Times of India reports that a Muslim expat, KP Sulaiman Haji, is sponsoring the entire cost anna danam for the around 2,000 people expected to the ritual.
“I have offered to bear the cost of the food as it is a noble initiative on the part of the temple authorities. Hindus and Muslims have been living in complete harmony here and the temple is a symbol of it,” Sulaiman Haji told The Times of India.
The ToI report by Rajeev KR says that many other people from Muslim community will also lend their support in making other arrangements for the homam.
P Moideen Kutty Master, a member of the committee which has been formed for raising funds for the homam told TOI, “It is worrying that currently people are being categorized just on their basis of religious affiliations when our fundamental identity is that of Indians. When the temple authorities said that conducting the homam will bring good to the military personnel guarding our borders in these tumultuous times, we wholeheartedly lent our support.”
The homam will be conducted by a team of priests led by Thantri Tharananellur Thekkinedath Padmanabhan Unni Namboodiripad, who is a head priest in around 2000 temples of Kerala, the report says.