Several recent reports have shown that demography is changing rapidly along India’s border with Nepal. The number of mosques and madarsas is constantly increasing. From August 20 to 27, 2022, an OpIndia team visited several areas in Nepal bordering India to observe the ground situation. What follows here is the fourth episode of the series of reports documenting the steady Islamisation of the border noticed by the OpIndia team.
Shravasti district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh. Shravasti was the capital of the ancient Indian kingdom of Kosala where Gautam Buddha spent most of his time after attaining enlightenment. It is near the Rapti river in the northeastern part of Uttar Pradesh India, close to the Nepal border. We learned during our visit to the area, that in Shravasti, it is very common to find mosques and madarsas next to Buddhist temples and places of faith. The majority of the settlements near Angulimal Cave are predominantly Muslim.
Semi-constructed Mazar and Idgah in Purainiya village
As our team toured the area, we discovered a semi-constructed Mazar in a garden in the Purainiya village, around 100 metres away from the highway on the Bhinga road and about 1 kilometre from the Angulimal cave. Purainiya is a small hamlet in Hariharpur Rani Block in the Shravasti District of Uttar Pradesh. The structure’s construction was completed, but the plastering was still not done. There was no one to be spotted on the site to answer who was carrying out the construction.
As we moved ahead, we spotted an Idgah, located around half a kilometre away from the aforementioned Mazar (shrine). This Idgah was located near the road that connected the village to the main highway. The Idgah could accommodate a crowd of approximately 200 individuals. An iron gate guarded the main entrance to the Idgah, which was surrounded by a pucca (brick) border.
We noticed that the Mazar was built on a pond in Katra village, Ikauna Tehsil, Shravasti district, created for water harvesting under the central government’s MNREGA scheme. The Mazar had been carved into the dam of the pond in the shape of a Karbala and cemented. There were Islamic flags hoisted at the same location.
The farm pond in which the Mazar was built was created under the government water harvesting scheme to meet the water needs in the water distressed areas but what we observed was that the water in the pond was negligible and the remnants of many tazias were thrown in it. This pond is located barely 100 metres inside the main highway on the connecting road of Katra village.
Tazia is a replica of the mausoleum of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Imam Hussain, and is made in numerous forms and sizes. Basically, Muslims bring home the Tazia on any day between the eve of the first day of the Islamic festival Muharram and the ninth day. It is buried on the tenth day of Ashura when Imam Hussain died.
Dr Ayub Khan’s posters mounted on electric poles throughout a nearly 20-kilometer stretch
As we progressed, we noticed numerous political billboards along the main highway. The most prominent hoardings were those of the National President and former MLA of Peace Party Dr Ayub Khan. These boards were mounted on electric poles on either side of the highway. There were appeals to join the Sampurna Swaraj Rally on these posters. These boards were found for around 20 kilometres from the confines of the Balrampur district to Bhinga.
Notably, Dr Ayub, who was elected to the Vidhan Sabha in 2012, was arrested from Gorakhpur on August 1, 2020, for issuing an advertisement with derogatory content in a newspaper after a complaint was filed against him at the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow. He was granted bail in October 2021.
‘Karbala’ and Islamic flags adorned the main road
We passed by Gopiyapur, a small hamlet in Mahewa Block in Etawah District of Uttar Pradesh, on our way back to Balrampur from Shravasti. There were Islamic flags right next to the road at this location. Some flags were green, while others were red. We spotted at least three pucca structures next to the road that were painted green. The locals referred to these structures as ‘Karbala’.
Islamic flags on homes, mosques and madarsas
Despite the fact that the country was commemorating its 75th year of independence at the time, many roadside houses near Gopiyapur had Islamic flags fluttering atop them. Amen Mobile and Yadav Travels boards were visible beneath these dwellings. In the centre of the green flags, a tricolour was also waving.
These areas seemed to have been completely Islamified over the years. A dargah was visible adjacent to the road near Gopiyapur on the main route leading to Shravasti. Dargah Chaddars were being sold and a large conngregation of people was seen roaming around in and around the dargah.
While our team was moving towards Shravasti, they noticed a Madarsa, situated just 200 meters away from this dargah. The madrasa had a black gate and some Arabic words written on the outside.
A person at a tea stall near the madarsa told us that what you see on the road is often what you see inside the villages also. Another person stated that if you travel to the Bhinga area of this district, you will see more mosques and madrasas than this.
A creeping Islamisation of Nepal and its border areas appears to be underway, with Islamists steadily establishing their foothold in distant villages, including those on the Indian border. In the first three parts of this series, OpIndia documented the demography change ongoing in Nepal, as well as the worrying surge in the number of mosques and madarsas in the Himalayan nation’s border villages. Additionally, we also spoke about the rising incidences of love jihad in Nepal, as well as its Delhi connection and smuggling and various other notorious activities that are threatening India’s border with Nepal.
The first report in this series can be read here in Hindi: कभी था हिंदू बहुल गाँव, अब स्वस्तिक चिह्न वाले घर पर 786 का निशान: भारत के उस पार भी डेमोग्राफी चेंज, नेपाल में घुसते ही मस्जिद, मदरसा और इस्लाम – OpIndia Ground Report
The same report can be read here in English: Demographic change hits other side of the border too, Mosques and Madarasas mushroom in former Hindu dominated areas in Nepal: Ground report
The second report in this series can be read here in Hindi: घरों पर चाँद-तारे वाले हरे झंडे, मस्जिद-मदरसे, कारोबार में भी दखल: मुस्लिम आबादी बढ़ने के साथ ही नेपाल में कपिलवस्तु के ‘कृष्णा नगर’ पर गाढ़ा हुआ इस्लामी रंग – OpIndia Ground Report
The same report can be read here in English: Islamic flags flying atop houses and mosques, madarsas influencing businesses: The creeping Islamisation of Nepal’s Krishnanagar
The third report in this series can be read here in Hindi: नेपाल में लव जिहाद: बढ़ती मुस्लिम आबादी और नेपाली लड़कियों से निकाह के खेल में ‘दिल्ली कनेक्शन’, तस्कर-गिरोह भारतीय सीमा पर खतरा – OpIndia Ground Report
The same report can be read here in English: Rising cases of love jihad in Nepal and its Delhi connection, smuggling plaguing India’s border with Nepal: Ground report
