Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh): Over 60 residents of a village in Neemuch district got their heads tonsured and held a mass feast at a temple to thank the deity for ensuring ëzero fatalityídue to COVID-19 in their village in the year 2021.
The ritual was held on Friday to fulfil the vow taken by villagers at the Devnarayan temple in Devari Khawasa village in Manasa tehsil when the pandemic was at its peak, a resident said.
Villagers, including women, took out a procession in the village in the Neemuch district. They danced to the tune of religious songs while holding religious flags in their hands.
Neemuch district and Manasa tehsil witnessed many fatalities during the first and second wave of corona resulting into the panic among the villagers. Many people in the village were infected with Covid-19, but none of them died and the patients returned home after recovering.
ìAbout 25-30 villagers were infected when the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak. At that time, people had taken a 'Mannat' (vow) in the ancient temple of Devnarayan ji to tonsure their heads and hold a 'bhandara' (mass feast) if no fatality is reported due to the pandemic in 2021,î Ambalal Patidar, a villager said.
Another resident Amit Gurjar said that in a bid to thank the deity, 90 villagers shaved their heads and organised a feast.
ìWe thanked the deity as no death due to COVID-19 was reported in our village with a population of 2,500 even though some of the infected villagers were critically ill," he claimed.
