School Dropout Muslim Mechanic Installs World's Largest Bell In Madhya Pradesh Temple For Free

In yet another example of religious harmony, a Class III dropout Muslim mechanic has fitted a 3700-kg heavy Maha Ghanta (mammoth metallic bell) inside the premises of the Pashupatinath Temple in Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district.

Naru Khan Mev, who runs a small factory in his native Mandsaur, completed the difficult task of installing the mammoth bell free of cost in the temple within 10-15 days.

Notably, the mammoth bell was was waiting to be installed for around two years. It was manufactured in Ahmedabad out of metal pieces donated by families across the Mandsaur district and neighbouring areas, The New Indian Express reported.

While acknowledging the efforts of Khan in getting the Maha Ghanta installed in the temple premises in a short span, the Mandsaur district collector Gautam Singh said, "For the last two years, its installation has been pending. With Naru Bhai's efforts, the Maha Ghanta has been solidly fixed at the most suitable place within the temple premises. The mammoth bell will be dedicated to devotees by CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan."

Dinesh Nagar, head of the Pashupatinath Temple Maha Ghanta Mandali said that the Maha Ghanta was manufactured out of copper and brass pieces and utensils donated by families across Mandsaur. Along with his men, Khan completed the arduous task of lifting the bell to the temple and then installing it at a solid foundation, worthy of bearing three times more weight than the 3700-kg heavy Maha Ghanta.

Khan's Other Initiatives

But the 66-year-old Khan's association with Mandsaur's Pashupatinath Temple, which possibly houses the world's only eight-faced Shiva Linga isn't new. It dates back to the COVID induced lockdowns.

Khan got a sanitisation machine during the first lockdown and installed it at the same temple. In the second lockdown, he established a bell fitted with a sensor, which would start ringing without touch by devotees.

Identically, Khan installed similar sensor-driven bells free of cost at other famous temples of the state, including the Khajrana Ganesh Temple in Indore and the world-famous Mahakal Temple in Ujjain.

"I have worked for all these causes on God's will. I've also worked free of cost for religious purposes in mosques. Using my expertise to resolve issues in temples and other places of worship is a divine duty for me," Khan said. The mechanic also operates a small factory in the Nayapura area of Mandsaur, where garlic grading machines are manufactured as well as all mechanical repairs are done.

Khan's free services were not just confined to temples during COVID-19 lockdowns. He covered the Mandsaur district hospitals and low-income families also. He used earnings from his factory to supply more than 120 oxygen cylinders to Mandsaur District Hospital and other needy patients during the second wave of COVID-19 and served 2,000 free food packets daily to low-income families in Mandsaur town for two months.

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