Musbetawa Baba Temple: A bridge for Hindu-Muslim religious harmony

Kashiram Sharma, NEPALGANJ: Musbetawa Baba Temple located at Khajura Rural Municipality in Banke district carries a common religious ambiance for both Hindu and Muslim communities, as the people from these communities throng the site to pay homage.
The followers of both Hindu and Muslim religious communities believe that their blessings get fulfilled from the Musbetawa Baba.
On the occasion of Saraswoti Puja, people of these communities visit the temple irrespective of their religious belongingness.
A social worker of Khajura, Satish Niraula said that people from Hindu and Muslim communities have high regard as a common religious site, which depicts the religious harmony in the society.
Niraula said that the folks from Muslim and Hindu backgrounds are praying in the temple for the past 55 years.
He shared that protection of the religious site is urgent to glorify its historical importance.
However, the land plot in the name of the Temple, which is being used for organizing a fair has been encroached upon, thus needing prompt actions for its protection.
There is also the possibility of promotion of religious tourism if the religious and histortical importance of this shrine could be publicized. “There are very few places having such historical value in the world, where the two religious communities revere the same shrine,” local Ram Sonkar said. He drew the attention of the local levels to take steps for publicizing the Musbetawa Baba temple.