Virakta Mutt in Deshanur, Belgaum has a Christian priest and Hindu Muslim devotees

Church or mutt? A sign of hope 16 Feb 2009, 0515 hrs IST, N D Shiva Kumar, TNN BELGAUM: In these troubled times of religious intolerance and rise of fundamentalism,, a village 25 km from Belgaum, stands out as a beacon of hope. The church here has adapted itself to local culture so much so that it is called a ‘mutt’ — — and has both Christian and Hindu features. The walls are adorned with teachings of Basavanna, Sarvajna, Akkamahadevi, Kabir Das, Tulsi Das, Sur Das, Purandaradasa, Kanakadasa and Meera. The church priest wears a saffron shawl; the devotees, comprising Hindus and Muslim, recite verses from the Bible, Gita and Koran. “The essence is peaceful coexistence of all faiths,’’ says priest Fr Menino. The village has a population of around 11,000 and is dominated by Lingayats and Muslims. The priest is the lone Christian member in the village. The priest worked closely with the villagers and started the first girls’ school, helped build roads, brought post office and electricity to the village. The church runs a primary school with 459 students and provides hostel accommodation to 46 poor students. Most villagers prefer to send their children to the church school. Though it has classes only up to 7th standard, high school students throng the church during nights to study. “We have a lot of powerlooms in our village. We can’t study at our homes due to the sound. So, we come here to study at nights,’’ said Shivanand Jawahar Thondikatti, a 10th-standard student. Besides Christmas, the church celebrates Sankranti. “Around 3,000 people participate during these celebrations. This place is a classic example of peaceful coexistence,’’ said Fr Menino. Source