DESCRIBING the deity of the ancient Dhakeswari temple here as a “mother to all humans”, a priest of the revered shrine said several Hindus, Muslims and others from the local community had come together to guard it soon after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina Government in Bangladesh. The centuries-old temple in old Dhaka has many mosques in its vicinity. PTI on Friday visited the Sree Sree Dhakeswari National Temple, one of the prominent ‘shakti peethas’, and interacted with priests and members of the Hindu community who visited the shrine. “People of many religions come here to pray. And, Maa (Goddess) is mother to all humans whether it is Hindus, Muslims, Christians or Buddhists. They come here to seek solace, prosperity and mental peace,” Ashim Maitro, one of the main priests, told PTI.

 

After serving the temple for 15 years, he looks at the shrine of ‘Maa Dhakeswari’ as a symbol of religious and communal harmony. The 53-year-old priest, some of whose family members also live in West Bengal, says the evening aarti of this temple is performed at 7 pm, nearly 30 minutes after the Maghrib prayer at mosques nearby. Maitro said on August 5, when the anti-Government protests had reached their peak leading to the ouster of the Hasina Government and her fleeing to India, he was at the temple premises. “I was not feeling afraid for myself but just concerned about the safety of our old temple and idols of deities here.”