Muslim vendors sell auspicious apparel for Hindu devotees in Varanasi

Lucknow, Thu, 22 Jul 2010  By Girish Kumar Dubey ( ANI )

Lucknow, July 22 (ANI): Muslims vendors in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh sell apparel and allied items used in religious rituals for Hindu devotees, particularly for those who undertake the Yatra during monsoon.

The pilgrims and other devotees wear specially designed orange or saffron coloured attire during the Yatra, reckoned to be a holy procession.In the month of Shravan as per Hindu almanac that usually falls during July and August,

a large number of Hindu devotees named Kanwarias go on foot to River Ganga.  They fetch water from the river and carry it back to their hometowns to be offered at temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. 

For this annual ritual, attired in the orange or saffron coloured robes, each of the Kanwarias also carries a pole on which the pots of water from the river are hung.

 And Muslims dispense all these materials needed for the ritual. 

A vendor acknowledged the respect he and his clan have for the Hindu devotees.

"Varanasi is a spiritual place where we are doing business with complete devotion and dedication for the Hindu rituals and we follow cleanliness for these auspicious attires. We believe in the traditions followed by our forefathers," said Mohammad

Ayub Khan, a vendor of materials for Kanwarias.On their part, the Hindu devotees admired the endeavour of Muslim vendors. "People belonging to both Hindu and Muslim communities are residing in Kashi and these Muslim vendors sell auspicious products with a lot of devotion that we can not even describe," noted Manoj Kumar, a Hindu devotee.

The scenario of the market in Varanasi depicts a clear picture of togetherness among Hindus and Muslims. 

"We sell these products throughout the year but sale is more during Shravan Maas (monsoon month). Both Hindu and Muslim people are quite enthusiastic about this month and rituals followed by the devotees," said Ajmat Ali, a vendor of decorative items. (ANI)