Man on 800km journey to Ayodhya for Ram Mandir puja; brings message of interfaith harmony

In an inspiring story, a man has undertaken an 800-km long journey on foot from Chhattisgarh's Chandkhuri, the village where Lord Rama’s mother Kaushalya was born, to Ayodhya, the venue for the ground-breaking ceremony of Ram temple which will be held on August 5.

Mohammad Faiz Khan has reached Madhya Pradesh's Anuppur so far. Sharing his adoration for Lord Rama, he said, “I am a Muslim by name and religion but I am a devotee of Lord Rama. If we learn about our ancestors, they were Hindus. Their names might be Ramlal or Shyamlal. We all have Hindu origin whether we go to church or mosque."

He recalled Pakistan's national poet Allama Iqbal’s message in which he said that “a man with perfect sight will consider Lord Rama as the lord of India”. With this reverence, Khan is taking soil from Kaushalya's birthplace at Chandkhuri to Ayodhya for dedicating it during the Bhoomi Poojan of Ram Temple.

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‘Pakistan creating communal tensions in India’

Speaking of criticism over his initiative, Faiz Khan said that some people in Pakistan have created fake IDs with Hindu and Muslim names and are abusing each other to show that all communities are fighting in India, but that is not true. Pakistan is trying to create communal tension in India on the occasion of Ram temple construction, he added

Mohammad Faiz Khan claimed that he has walked 15,000 km to various temples before. "This is not the first time I am walking to the temples. I have walked 15,000 km and stayed in temples and mutts. Nobody said a word against me. This journey is only 800 km," Khan said.

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Ram Mandir Bhoomi Poojan

August 5 has been confirmed as the date for laying the foundation stone of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. As per sources, senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh are likely to accompany PM Modi for the event.  The temple construction will commence after the foundation stone-laying ceremony. The trust has estimated that construction of the temple will be completed in 3-3.5 years i.e by 2023. 

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(With inputs from agencies)