Palamu (Jharkhand)

A crematorium located in a Muslim quarter and a Muslim cemetery in the Hindu majority area of Madani Nagar, the divisional headquarters of Jharkhand’s Palamu division have fused to create an environment of harmony in the town.

On any given day one can see a Hindu funeral procession passing through the Muslim neighbourhood on its way to Raja Harish Chandra Ghat on the banks of the river Koil. The Ghat area is inhabited mostly by Muslims.

On the other hand, the Muslim cemetery in Hamidganj is in the middle of a thickly populated Hindu neighbourhood.

This leaves both communities in a situation where they end up respecting and safeguarding each other’s resting places. And the tradition has never been broken.

This town has maintained its tradition of harmony and has been a picture of the country's inclusive civilization for ages. And despite a tense atmosphere in many parts of the country due to attempts to break social harmony, Hindus and Muslims of Madani Nagar city have never allowed anything or anyone to break their equations.

The cremation ground in Madani Nagar is an example of social harmony, says SC Mishra, a well-known professor in Palamu district. The corpse is placed on the road before being put on the funeral pyre. There was never any opposition or controversy. Similarly, the funeral procession of the Muslim reaches the graveyard through the Hindu-majority route. There have never been any protests and the mutual respect that has endured for years is a unique example of Hindu-Muslim unity.

Muhammad Israel alias Kalu Buxa, who lives near the crematorium Raja Harish Chandra Ghat says he has always seen unity in the city.  

"Crematoriums and cemeteries are a symbol of unity for the people here. There is nothing wrong with going to any of these places,” he says.

He had come to the town from Banaras when he was quite young. Seeing the harmony in the town, the family decided to settle down there. The wall of his house is adjacent to the crematorium. "There has never been and never will be any kind of tension."

Seventy-six-year-old Shamsuddin says that he has lived in peace in Madani Nagar since his childhood. He says it’s like the confluence of the Ganga, Jumna, and Saraswati in Prayagraj.

Shamsuddin, a resident of Mohalla Old Garhwa Road, said the town is a living testimony to a unique story of Hindu-Muslim unity. “To date, there has been no dispute over the crematorium and cemetery in the city and there will be no dispute. This is my prayer.”