Every morning, local Muslims enter the premises of Payer temple to clean its floor and lawns. They have been doing this for more than 20 years since Hindus known as Kashmiri Pandits left the village during the height of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.
The temple is named after the village Payer, where it is situated. However, some historians also call it by the name Payech. Payer village is situated about three kilometres south of Pulwama district and 40 kilometres from Srinagar in Kashmir. The people of the village not only protected the temple from militants but have been maintaining it since then.
The people of Kashmir are known for religious tolerance. Hindus and Muslims were living in peace and harmony before the onset of armed insurgency in the valley in the late eighties. While the local Hindus had to leave the valley due the targeted attacks by some miscreants, the local Muslims protected their property and religious places. It was under difficult circumstances that Kashmiri Hindus were forced to leave the state. But the locals back home continue to look after the property and temples of Hindus, reflecting the age-old communal harmony.
Muslims look after a Hindu temple since last two decades
