AGRA, India (RNS) — For 83-year-old Riyaz Ahmed Khan, the ivory-white Taj Mahal is more than a symbol of love. The monument, to him, mirrors his village, Sadhan, located about 25 miles away.
“For generations, Hindus and Muslims have lived together in harmony here,” said Khan, a practicing Muslim and a retired teacher of Sanskrit, the sacred language of Hinduism. “If the Taj is an ode to love, our village has many Taj Mahals in it.”
The 17th-century marble mausoleum on the banks of the River Yamuna in the north Indian city of Agra was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in loving memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. And in Sadhan, spread over more than 70 acres in plain sight of the Taj Mahal, tolerance of different faiths has endured over centuries. Its 20,000 residents consist of Hindus and Muslims across caste lines, belonging to a farming community that tills lush fields of mustard and wheat.
Historically, residents have shared a belief in a common ancestry that has prevented religious fundamentalism from taking root in the village — even as communal riots have engulfed other parts of India. That rare communal harmony has withstood a rise in polarization across the count …