Sheik Rabbani has restored 20 temples and constructed 15 new ones

Amid growing tension between the majority and minority communities, here is an example of perfect communal harmony with a 32-year-old Muslim man from Guntur embarking on the task of restoring historical and dilapidated Hindu temples in Telangana as well as Andhra Pradesh.

With a team of 40 workers, all of them Muslims, Sheik Rabbani of Turkapalem in Guntur is credited with restoring 20 historical temples in both the States and constructing 15 finest new rock-built temples. All this has been accomplished by Mr. Rabbani in the last 10 years.

Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Rabbani said his great grand parents had learnt the art from some Tamil sculptors probably in the late 19th century.

“I grew up seeing my grandfather and father having mastered the art of sculpting rocks and stones and turning them into marvellous structures. All this was done to earn their livelihood. As my parents were not in a position to support my education, I dropped out of school in Class VII and started helping my father,” he said.

To hone his skills, Mr. Rabbani took the guidance of Murthy, a noted artisan of Guntur. Having learnt the finer aspects of sculpting, he started working in close association with the Archaeology Department to restore temples from 2003.

His work includes laying steps to the Bhongir Fort, restoration of Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple, Palem, Sivalayam at Gudivada village, restoration of the boundary wall of Chaya Someswara Swamy temple, Panagal (all are located in Nalgonda), Madugula Sivalayam belonging to the Kakatiya dynasty and Boothpur Sivalayam (both are located in Mahabubnagar), a temple on Hemavathi fort in Anantapur, and Pushpagiri temple in Kadapa.

Monumental effort

Mr. Rabbani said he cherishes the construction of the Sri Kanyakaparameswari rock temple in Nagarkurnool as his best work among the 15 new temples he has built. “I always feel proud that I have also constructed the main arch of the High Court in Hyderabad and also worked on the Qutub Shahi tombs,” he said.

He says as both the Centre and the State government are keen on restoring heritage structures, he wants to undertake more works. “I will not only get recognition but also be able to provide employment to others,” he remarked. Technical Assistant at the Panagal Museum P. Nagaraju said Mr. Rabbani’s work was flawless.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National / by T. Karnakar Reddy / Nalgonda – December 14th, 2014