BOKARO: A 13-year-old
girl died in front of a Shivling at a popular Shiva temple in
Singhpur under Kasmar block trying to evoke the diety and cure her
epilepsy. The
girl's death has shocked residents of her village and some of them now fear that misfortune will befall on them.
Laxmi Kumari, who died on Saturday night, was the daughter of Mantu Mahto, a resident of Durgapur village and a student of class VII of Upgraded Government School in the same village located a few kilometres away from the temple in the same Kasmar block. The temple where the incident occurred is very popular and draws a huge number of devotees everyday. People from far-flung areas visit the temple with a belief that Lord Shiva cures illness of all those who performs puja or sits praying there. Kumari was suffering from the disease since the past five years. Her parents had taken her to several doctors but when they could not find any cure supported her daughter to go to the temple and pray to Lord Shiva.
Kumari reached the temple seven days ago and sat there praying. She gave up medicines completely and was only eating fruits. Manoj Singh of the temple committee said, "We had requested the girl to take medicines seeing her condition. But she was adamant and kept praying. She said she will not give up her prayers till Lord Shiva cures her disease. The girl used to suffer from epilepsy strokes frequently."
Singh added that on Sunday evening, they spotted the girl lying on the floor of the temple, found that she had died.
The girl's father said her daughter was depressed owing to her chronic epilepsy.
"When all our efforts failed and her pain became unbearable, we decided to go to the temple. We had heard that many ailing people got cured by praying at the temple," he said.
A priest of the temple, Bhukhal Jha, said, "This is the first time a devotee has died while praying for a cure. The temple is ancient and residents have a strong faith on the deity."
Following the incident, the priest performed a special prayer for 'shudhikaran' of the temple. The villagers also white-washed the entire temple premise.
The Shiva temple where Laxmi Kumari went to pray.
