A temple festival where chants of ‘Om Sakthi’ and ‘Allahu Akbar’ echo together, where an Islamic flag is hoisted to open the festival —Sikkandar Chavadi in Madurai is no ordinary village. The Hindu residents here take religious harmony a step ahead, paying first respects to the shrine of their beloved local guardian,‘Sikkandar’, for every ceremony.“Around 100 years ago, a resident named Sikkandar used to protect and serve travellers and people in this area. He was laid to rest here and after his death, the place came to be known as Sikkandar Chavadi in his memory. For generations, people have been viewing him almost as a God and his dargah as a temple,” says S Sakthivel, a Hindu resident.There are several stories surrounding Sikkandar’s origins. A Mayakan, a mason who renovated Sikkandar’s shrine this year with the support of residents, says many Muslims originally came to the village from Madurai city. “Among them were two Muslim brothers. One was Kuppu Pitchai Rawther alias Sikkandar. It is said that Sikkandar had an understanding with the village elders that whoever among them died first would be paid first respects, after which the place came to be known as Sikkandar Chavadi.”Whenever there is a celebratory event such as the birth of a child or the construction of a new house, the first tribute or ‘padhya’ is always paid to the shrine of Sikkandar.A pole with the Islamic flag has been erected on the spot where Sikkandar was believed to pray. Not far from there is a small house where the family of Sikkandar’s grandson resides. “The local temple festival is celebrated once every two years, and we too take part in it. The Islamic flag is hoisted first, and respects are paid to Sikkandar before the ‘karagam’ is taken for the temple festival procession. Everyone, including people from surrounding villages, comes together,” says the descendant who also goes by the name Sikkandar.The name is very popular in the locality. “In our family, we have a tradition of naming the first-born ‘Sikkandar’ if a boy and ‘Sikkandar Amma’ if a girl. Many Hindus in our area also name their child the same if he/she is born after a long wait. More than 10 people here are called ‘Sikkandar’ with some prefix or suffix,” adds Sikkandar. Though most of his grandfather’s relatives have moved away from Sikkandar Chavadi, they take part in the temple festival if they can.There are more than 10 temples in Sikkandar Chavadi at present with Manthaiamman, Kaliamman, Bathrakaliamman and Muniyandi temples being the most prominent. But to the people of the village, ‘Sikkandar Thunai’ (the protection of Sikkandar) comes first. “People of all castes too come together for rituals such as pouring of holy turmeric water during the festival and are involved in the temple’s upkeep,” adds Mayakan.
