Yeh Hai India: Muslim Drummer At J&K Temple

The Budha Amarnath temple, located in the Mandi area of the border district of Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir, is a sacred place for the Hindu community.

Every year, pilgrims from all over India visit the temple as part of the Amarnath Yatra.

According to Hindu belief, the Amarnath Yatra is incomplete until one gets the darshan of Budha Amarnath in Poonch.

Pilgrims visiting the Budha Amarnath shrine are warmly welcomed, regardless of religion and caste.

Abdul Ghani, a resident of Palira village in Tehsil Mandi, has been playing the drums at the Budha Amarnath temple for over 20 years.

Ghani plays the drums on the temple premises from morning till evening and at times till night.

Speaking to the Milap News Network, Ghani said about 25 years ago, two bears attacked him a few kilometres from the temple, seriously injuring him.

"The temple management committee, the priest and the BSF battalion were here. The officials helped me. I received treatment; the then deputy commissioner also helped me a lot. I sustained severe injuries on my arms, head and mouth in the bear attack," he recalls.

"After several months I recovered, but was unable to do any other work. I then preferred to sit in this temple," he says.

"Allah is one, but his names are different," he says. "I believe that Baba Budha Amarnath saved me. This is who I am. The people of the temple trust me a lot and I also trust them with my words and actions. They trust me, they let me stay in the temple premises, and they also give me food."

Even when terrorism was at its peak in Jammu and Kashmir, Ghani says he earned money by playing drums in the temple.

There is no pressure on him from the people of his village or from the people of the community, he adds, and asserts that he plays the drums out of his free will which helps him earn and fulfil his household expenses.

He hopes that the coming Amarnath Yatra will once again be a source of income for him, as people from all over the country visit the temple and enjoy him playing the drums and provide him with financial support.