Beltangady: Suryanarayana Temple Festival Unites Christians, Hindus
Beltangady, May 12 (UCA News): A temple festival celebrated jointly by Christians and Hindus here on Wednesday May 11 has been hailed as a breakthrough in community relations.
A group of Catholics joined Hindus in celebrating the Suryanarayana Temple festival. The Temple began the annual 10-day festival on May 6. Catholic parishioners had helped renovate the temple premises for the festival. The temple officials then invited Catholics to the festival.
A local television channel hailed the event as "a new chapter and new approach toward harmonious living." It wanted all in Karnataka to follow the Naravi example.
Jeevandhar Kumar, a local leader of Jainism and temple festival committee convener, said politicians divide people along religious and caste lines. “We have transcended those petty borders,” he added.
“We do practice different religious cults and rituals. But all of us are members of one common religion of humanity,” said Fr Louis Cutinha, parish priest of St Antony Church of Naravi in Mangalore diocese.
The priest led more than 200 parishioners in the temple procession. "This festival is a great occasion to experience harmony in diversity," he said.
Christians organized a boat tableau wishing well for the festival, with its message of harmony, in a 1-km procession through the local market. The theme of the procession was, "Before God all are one."
"The role played by the Christians is really heartwarming especially in the context of communal tension around us," Father Cutinha said.
He said the Christians’ gesture helped remove earlier hesitation and a communication gap between local Christians and Hindus.
Sri Sri N Vasanth Bhat, the temple priest in Naravi, said local Christians had shown an example of harmonious cooperation.