Pahalgam: Situated on the banks of the icy Lidder river, a 900-year old Shiva temple is perhaps the only major Hindu shrine in Kashmir valley which has Muslim priests.
After the migration of Kashmiri Pandits from a nearby village, two Muslim priests - Mohmmad Abdullah and Ghulam Hassan kept the doors of the Mamalaka temple open and bells continued to toll.
"We not only took care of the temple but also held 'aartis' everyday," Ghulam Hasan says.
Besides ensuring the safety of the 3-feet-long black stone Shivaling, Abdullah and Hassan have ensured that no devotee goes without 'prasad' even for a single day. Built by Raja Jai Suria, the temple was once a must stop over for pilgrims going to the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas.