Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday offered prayers at a temple of Lord Ayyappa and a Muslim shrine dedicated to Vavarswami at Erumeli, an important centre connected to Sabarimala pilgrimage, as he slammed the BJP-RSS and LDF while campaigning in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam and Idukki districts.
Speaking at an election rally organised in front of the two places of worship situated on two sides of the road at Erumeli in Kottayam district, Gandhi hailed the practice of people visiting the Vavar mosque and the Ayyappa temple at Erumeli before heading to the Sabarimala temple.
“To live happily and peacefully and protect each others interests—this idea is the biggest gift you can give to this country today,” he said.
Wearing the traditional black dress and bead-chain and smearing ‘bhasmam’, the holy ash, on forehead, chest and arms, Hindu pilgrims visit the mosque and offer prayers, reviving the local myth of Lord Ayyappa's friendship with Vavar, a Muslim saint, during the two-month long annual pilgrimage to Sabarimala.
