A Muslim man has begun 800-km long walk from Chhattisgarh's Chandkhuri, the village where Kaushalya, mother of Lord Rama was born, to Ayodhya, the venue for the ground-breaking ceremony of Ram temple that will be conducted on August 5.
Mohammad Faiz Khan, who has reached Madhya Pradesh's Anuppur, told , "I am a Muslim from my name and religion but I am a devotee of Lord Rama. If we find out about our ancestors, they were Hindus. Their names might be Ramlal or Shyamlal. We all have Hindu origin whether we go to church or mosque."
"Our main ancestor is Lord Rama. Allama Iqbal (Pakistan's national poet) had tried to explain in a way in which he said that the one who has perfect sight, will consider Lord Rama as lord of India. With this reverence, I am taking soil from Kaushalya's birthplace at Chandkhuri to Ayodhya for dedicating it during the ground-breaking ceremony," he said.
Asked about people criticising his initiative, he said, "Some people in Pakistan have created fake IDs with Hindu and Muslim names and are abusing each other to show that all communities are fighting in India."
He claimed that he has walked 15,000 km to various temples and even stayed there.
"This is not the first time I am walking to the temples. I have walked 15,000 km and stayed in temples and mutts. Nobody said a word against me. This journey is only 800 km," Khan said.
"Pakistan is trying to create communal tension in India on the occasion of Ram temple construction," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )