Hindus and Muslims protect Dhaka's ancient temple: Priest

Dhaka: Describing the deity of the ancient Dhakeswari Temple here as a "mother to all humans", a priest of the revered shrine said several Hindus, Muslims and others from the local community had come together to guard it soon after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh.

The centuries-old temple in old Dhaka has many mosques in its vicinity and chimes of temple bells at times merge with the sound of 'azaan' emerging from nearby mosques. This correspondent on Friday visited the Sree Sree Dhakeswari National Temple, one of the prominent ‘shakti peethas', and interacted with priests and members of the Hindu community who visited the shrine. While a young married couple had come to seek blessings for their two-month-old daughter, a woman lit candles at a corner of the temple courtyard facing the sanctum sanctorum and diligently prayed. "People of many religions come here to pray. And, Maa (Goddess) is mother to all humans whether it is Hindus, Muslims, Christians or Buddhists. They come here to seek solace, prosperity and mental peace," Ashim Maitro, one of the main priests, said.

After serving the temple for 15 years, he looks at the shrine of 'Maa Dhakeswari' as a symbol of religious and communal harmony. The 53-year-old priest, some of whose family members also live in West Bengal, says the evening aarti of this temple is performed at 7 pm, nearly 30 minutes after the Maghrib prayer at mosques nearby.

Maitro said on August 5, when the anti-government protests had reached their peak leading to the ouster of the Hasina government and her fleeing to India, he was at the temple premises. “I was not feeling afraid for myself but just concerned about the safety of our old temple and idols of deities here. The temple committee members were also present and we closed the doors and the main gate,” the priest recalled. When Prime Minister Hasina left the country, “no visitor was here”, he said, adding there was “no police force” either at that time as everything was in disarray amid political chaos. “Members of the local communities helped. Muslims, Hindus and others came to stand guard outside the temple so that no harm comes to the temple,” the priest said and expressed relief. “Nothing untoward has happened here from that day till today,” he said. Maitro said on August 5, they continued to perform regular puja “without any break” and since then ‘bhog’ has also been offered every day as per the timings of the rituals. The shrine is open to visitors from 7 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 9 pm.