Hindu families are dismantling mazars in Rishikesh. Read why
mazars' (tomb shrines) in the villages of Bhattowala and Ghumaniwala in Rishikesh is slowly fading away. These 'mazars,' featuring Islamic symbolism, were constructed within the homes of villagers, primarily belonging to the upper-caste Hindu community, and are now being voluntarily dismantled by the families themselves.
This significant development comes in the wake of the ongoing anti-encroachment campaign initiated by the Uttarakhand government.
The primary objective of this campaign is to reclaim state-owned land by removing various encroachments, including religious structures.
During a recent visit to the area by a team from The Times of India (TOI), it was observed that the majority of families in these two villages had constructed 'mazars' on their properties approximately 15-20 years ago. The common thread among these families was seeking solutions to their problems through the intervention of a local fakir, known as peer baba.
These peer babas advised them to allocate a portion of their land for the construction of these 'mazars.' Surprisingly, nine families out of at least 35 have already taken steps to dismantle these structures on their premises in recent weeks, with many others contemplating a similar course of action.
Girish Nedwal, a resident of one of these villages, shared his perspective with TOI, saying, «The mazar in our house was built at the insistence of my mother, who visited the peer baba when I was very ill, about 20 years ago. We went along with it all these years but now consider it pure superstition.
