Shamli: Amid communal tensions in the country, Hindus in a village in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli with no Muslim population have taken up the responsibility to protect a 300-year-old Mughal-era mosque and want it to be developed as a tourist destination to promote communal harmony and brotherhood in the country. Gausgarh village in the Shamli district of Uttar Pradesh used to be a prosperous village in the erstwhile princely state between 1760 and 1806 during the Mughal rule.
Centuries later, there are still some traces of the glorious past, including the dilapidated mosque. As per historians, the mosque was built inside the palace of the then princely state after Ghulam Qadir overthrew the Mughal emperor Shah Alam for about two-and-a-half months in 1788 and captured the throne of Delhi. With time, the palace ceased to exist and only the ruins of the mosque remain.
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Due to the absence of Muslims in the village since 1940, no prayers have been offered in the mosque. But, that has not stopped the Hindus of the village from taking its care as they have stepped forward to revive this age-old building. The villagers have taken up the task of preserving the mosque under the leadership of social worker Chaudhary Neeraj Rhode, husband of the village head.
Neeraj while taking to ETV Bharat, said, “All the 13 members of the gram panchayat are unanimous in their opinion that this mosque needs to be protected because this mosque remains the only heritage to show the importance of this area in the past”. He said that many Muslims from nearby villages and districts come to see the mosque for its glorious past.
“We are also working on the financial aspects to convert it into a religious tourist destination,” Neeraj said and added that the mosque complex is spread over 3.5 bighas, but most of its vacant land has been encroached upon, which the villagers are working to retrieve. Sanjay Chaudhary, a villager whose land is in the vicinity of the mosque said that he, along with other villagers, will surrender their land if it turns out to be the mosque's property.
"But all of us want this historical heritage to be preserved. This mosque can become an example of communal harmony in the country,” Choudhary said. Gram Panchayat member Shivlal said a team of 50-60 villagers has been formed to ensure the cleanliness and maintenance of the mosque. He also urged the government to take up the renovation work of the mosque. As per Abhishek Kumar, a villager, the mosque building has also been damaged due to deep excavation by people in its compound over rumours of “hidden treasure” there. Social worker Neeraj Rhode said that the officials are being contacted to start the conservation work of the mosque.
