NEWINDPRESS (Chennai, India) 12 January 06 Superstitious UP village puts sacred snake on pedestal
Bipravali (ANI): Residents of a village in Uttar Pradesh have decided to construct a temple at a site where a snake died recently.
The cobra was initially shooed away by the scared villagers, but when they realized that the reptile kept coming back to the same spot everyday, the awestruck villagers, started believing in its "divine appearance".
The snake apparently followed his eight-hour shift religiously, mysteriously making his appearance at nine in the morning at his favourite spot on the outskirts of Bipravali village. It later recoiled back into its tiny hole in the ground, once its time was up.
A village priest had already begun holding regular sermons from the Ramayana and Gita, holy books of the Hindus, near the site, when the snake died.
"We plan to construct a temple of the snake here now. We feel he (the snake) is an incarnation of a great soul.
“Recently, a monk who has taken a pledge of silence visited us and conveyed that we should organize regular sermons from the Holy books, a time within which the snake will take a "samadhi (to become one with God)," said Govind Sharma, a villager.
The snake apparently was not scared of the scores of villagers who started gathering near his "home" once its fame started spreading, adding to the frenzy around it.
"We saw him (the snake) for a few days and then organized a sermon from the Geeta (Holy Book) also. We worshipped him but he did not drink the milk that we offered," said Ram Vati, a villager.
Villagers have already begun collecting donations so that construction of the temple can start at the earliest.
Indians are usually a superstitious community, with myths more prevalent across villages than in urban centers.
Superstitious UP village puts sacred snake on pedestal