Budgam (Kashmir): Even as the Ayodhya controversy rages on, a shining example of Hindu-Muslim unity has been witnessed in a militancy-hit Kashmir village, where the community came together for constructing a temple besides a mosque and a dargah.

In a rare religious confluence, the people of Ichigam village, irrespective of their faith have helped each other in keeping up their religious values.

The Hindu community of the village was whole-heartedly supported by their Muslim neighbours, cash and in kind, when they decided to build a Sharika Devi Bhagwati Mandir just across the road facing Khwaja Masjid, belonging to the Sunni sect of Muslims.

Just a stone's throw away is the dargah of Hazrat Abul Fazal Abbas, belonging to the Shia sect of Muslims, located behind the newly-constructed temple.

Locals are proud of the communal harmony prevailing in the village even as religious confrontation elsewhere may have become frequent.

The foundation stone of the temple was laid by Haji Hakeem Ghulam Mohammad, president of the Auqaf managing the Khwaja Masjid, Fayaz Ahmad, a local resident, said.

An interesting feature about this Hindu-Muslim harmony is that the key to the temple is kept with Abdul Gani Wani who runs a general provision store in front of it.

"We leave the keys with him because most of the Pandit men go to work in the morning ... And it does not matter to us who holds the keys or to which faith does he belong," Surinder Kumar Bhat said.

Asked if the village was ever gripped by communal tension or influenced by such events in other parts of the country, Bhat said he did not remember any such incident taking place in the village ever since his childhood.

"We have lived like brothers here and do not discriminate against each other. And I do not know what does one get by hating someone in the name of faith," he added.

Regretting the migration of some of the Kashmiri Pandit families from the village, Fayaz said the 10 Pandit households who decided to stay back were treated as their own brethren by both Shia and Sunni Muslims of the area.

"Be it times of happiness or sorrow, we have stood by each other," he said.

"Gashlal Bhat's daughter is married ... It was arranged by a Muslim marriage broker. His house was also renovated by his Muslim neighbours," Fayaz said.

Similarly, Muslims have performed "antim sanaskar" (last rites) when a Pandit died as his relatives were all in Jammu at the time, he added.

Asked if there was any harassment of the Pandits by militants during the early years of militancy, Fayaz replied in the negative.

"This is a village of 15,000 people and we believe in 'all for one' and 'one for all'. If there was knock on one door at night, the entire village would come out on the road," he added.

"We used to conduct night patrolling to prevent any harm coming to our brethren," he said.

Coming back to mandir-masjid, even nature has not discriminated between Hindus and Muslims. The spring that emanates from the lawn of the mosque passes through the pond of the temple before joining a bigger stream.

PTI