WEBINDIA123 (Cochin, India) 25 August 06 'Harmless' snake turns UP village into pilgrimage (Dadhorpur Varanasi)
(UNI) Call it superstition or blind devotion, but a snake has converted this village into a small pilgrimage, especially due to a widow and her six daughters, who believe that the reptile is the reincarnation of their family head, who died nine years ago due to snake bite.
Har-har Mahadev, Naag Devta ki jai, Balkeshwar Mahadev ki jai --the slogans being aired by a crowd of villagers near a snake resting on a heap of cow-dung makes the entire ambience devotional.
Any movement by the reptile especially when it is offered milk, further galvanises the crowd to raise the pitch of their slogans.
''Naag devta ke roop mein Bhagwan Shankar yahan padhare hain'' ( Lord Shiva has blessed us in the form of snake), claimed Chavinath Pandey, an elderly native of Dadhorpur village, where the snake has not only become a centre of attraction but also a symbol of devotion for the rural-folk for the last 27 days.
Several makeshift shops selling flowers and religious items have sprouted near the `ghoora’ (the place where cow-dung was piled). The same place is in the process of being converted into a temple of ''Balkeshwar Mahadev.'' The proposed temple is not devoted to any form of Shiva, but to a man who died nine years ago of snake bite and now his family believes that the snake which has not shifted an inch from the place is his reincarnation.
''My husband died of snake bite on Janmashtami day nine years ago. I saw him several times in different guise in my dream, and I am sure that my husband has reunited with us in the form of this snake which has not troubled us but befriended us,'' said Bhagwani Devi, widow of Balkeshwar Patel.
It is not only Bhagwani who harbours the outlandish belief, but many others in the villages and adjoining areas who are trouping down to Dodharpur to catch the glimpse of the alleged 'snake god'.
The blind faith has led the residents of the village, 30 km from district headquarter to start preparations for building the temple out of token contributions from the devotees.
''The temple will be built out of contributions from devotees of Balkeshwar Mahadev,'' said Ram Kumar, the brother of Balkeshwar. He further said donation slips have already been printed and subscriptions are pouring in endlessly.
While, the village is fast turning into a pilgrimage of snake god due to the unfounded belief of the villagers, elders in Balkeshwar family have termed the entire exercise as drama and one aimed at generating profit.
''The snake has been planted by someone and stories concocted only to generate income for the family of Balkeshwar,'' said Balram Singh, the elder brother of Balkeshwar, adding that already the widow and her six daughters were earning a daily income of over Rs 200 in form of 'Chadhawa' (offering) near the snake.
His reasoning found support in Arvind Mishra, president of Uttar Pradesh Chapter of Indian Science Writers Association, who termed the phenomenon as just another example of superstition holding supreme like the sweetening of sea water and idols of deities consuming milk.
After examining the snake closely here today, Dr Mishra said the concerned snake was a rat snake commonly known as 'Dhamin' in this part of the country. Such snakes mainly feed on mammals, frogs and rats and can be domesticated easliy.
''The possibility of the harmless snake being planted by someone to generate income cannot be ruled out,'' Dr Mishra maintained.
'Harmless' snake turns UP village into pilgrimage