This temple in Ayodhya is different

Known as Satyar Temple and situated at the Gujarat Bhavan on the Dantdhawan Kund Road in the temple town of Ayodhya, it has idols and images of gods of different religions.

It has the idol of Lord Rama, a pictorial image of the Mecca-Medina, idols of Gautam Buddha and Jesus Christ and a picture of Prophet Zarthustra, the Parsi god.

And as a result, it is flocked by people belonging to different religions who find solace and peace here. The unique all-religion temple was built by Laljibhai Satya Sanehi, who was a social worker, about fifty years back with the main objective of promoting harmony among the people from different religions.

Laljibhai died at the age of 75 a few years back. The temple opens for the public in the mornings and evenings. Priest Hanuman Prasad conducts “pujas” and “artis” (worship) at the temple regularly.

“I never faced any difficulty in doing ‘pujas’ in the temple...it is a fine example of communal harmony is visited by a large number of people—both local and outsiders,” he said.

The name of the temple “Satyar” signifies the importance of truth in life, says the priest. Incidentally, the words truth and “ahinsa” (non-violence) are inscribed on the walls inside the temple.

“I feel that more such temples should be built in the country to counter the threat of violence in the name of religions,” said Kanti Devi, a Hindu devotee, from Ayodhya.

Situated barely a few hundred metres from the disputed complex, this temple could perhaps teach a few things to those fighting in the name of religion.