Keypoints:
- The idol is named ‘CORONA MATA’ and has been placed in the open temple. The idol wears a mask too.The devotees are not allowed to touch the idol.
- In the hope of divine intervention of the Covid-19 threat, villagers from UPs Shuklapur have started praying to a local deity, ‘Corona Mata’ or ‘Goddess Corona’.
- This week, the local villagers have placed the idol of their ‘Corona Mata’ and are offering prayers, holy water and flowers at the temple on a daily basis.
Villagers in Uttar Pradesh’s Shuklapur are now praying to ‘Corona Mata’ or ‘Goddess Corona’, new goddess in the pantheon of their faith. This is being done to ward off the deadly Coronavirus threat which has plagued India and the world for the past one and a half years. Villagers are praying to Corona Mata in the hope that the goddess saves them from the deadly virus.
This week, the villagers have placed the idol of their ‘Corona Mata’ and are offering prayers, holy water and flowers at the temple on a daily basis.
Shuklapur village is located in Uttar Pradesh’s Pratapgarh district and it saw a fatal second wave of Covid-19. There was a high death toll during its peak.
While offering prayers at the temple, the villagers are also highlighting the importance of Covid protocols like using face masks and maintaining social distance. There villagers are offering prayers to Corona Mata wishing that the “shadow of Covid-19 should never fall on Shuklapur and adjoining villages”. It is with the help of donations that the villagers have built this temple.
Villagers claimed, “After witnessing the coronavirus pandemic and its deadly impact which snatched lives of thousands of people, we decided to set up Corona Mata mandir under a ‘neem’ tree with full belief that praying to the deity would definitely offer respite to people from the deadly disease.”
Daily prayers are being organised; the villagers are seeking blessings from the goddess to save people from the deadly virus.
Radhe Shyam, the temple priest, said: “We have earlier heard the name of ‘Chechak Mata’ (smallpox mother) who cured the disease. Similarly, we have set up Corona Mata mandir with the belief that Mata would solve all the difficulties. We collected funds for the villagers.”
However, he said that this was not the first time that such a temple has come up in the country. “When plague and other deadly diseases like smallpox spread across villages and towns and killed many people years back, people also worshipped Chechak Mata.”
He added that from the past two days,villagers have been offering prayers to Corona Mata with all religious rituals. Covid protocols are in its place too. Aarti is also being performed two times in a day. Villagers have claimed that the devotees are not allowed to touch the idol and they only have to offer yellow flowers to the goddess.
“With the setting up of the temple and installation of Corona Mata idol, we feel protected and believe that Mata’s blessings would save us from the deadly disease forever,”the villagers said.
