Bees keep devotees away from deity for 2 decades

PUDUKKOTTAI: The people of Seeppukkaranpatti, a hamlet in the district, have not lighted camphor for their family deity even once in the last two decades so as not to disturb the permanent guests residing on a banyan tree nearby--a swarm of bees.

“The temple of our family deity is located right under the tree. If we light camphor there, the bees will bite and chase us away. So we have almost stopped doing pooja to the deity,” said Vellaisamy, an elderly person, adding that usually bees shifted places after a few months and,  in some cases, a few years. “But in our village, the bees are like permanent guests.”

“Forget about street lights, sometimes we can’t even switch on the lights at our houses as bees will immediately swarm them. Sometimes they bite us,too. We are particularly worried about our children,” said another villager, Sudha.

Rain or shine, the bees are in no mood to leave the tree, which has weathered many a heavy downpour and strong wind over the 20 years. Even during autumns, when the tree sheds leaves, its branches have more than 15 beehives. The residents on the street close to the tree had several times tried to shoo the bees away, but in vain.

Said a woman,“Fire department personnel once tried to remove the beehives but they couldn’t. Narikkuravas too tried but failed because the beehives are there on all the branches. So we have stopped trying.”

Rubbing it in is the fact the villagers have never got to taste the honey from these beehives.
The banyan tree with beehives at Seeppukkaranpatti in Pudukkottai district.