Couples flock to 170-year-old Jharkhand temple for daughters

 In a country where female foeticide continues to remain a concern, dozens of couples queue up at a 170-year-old Durga temple in a remote village seeking a daughter. The temple, at Chakulia village in Chas block of Bokaro district, has an immense place of pride and faith among the people and hundreds have been granted their wish for a daughter after offering prayers here, village elders said.
Like every year, the Durga puja in this village began with ghatsthapana, a ritual where prayers are offered to a 150-year-old copper pot at this temple. “Even though devotees visit the temple through the year, footfall surges during Navratra as hundreds offer prayers to a grand statue of Siddhidatri Durga seeking a daughter,” local said.
According to folklore, a villager named Kalicharan Dubey first prayed here for a daughter about 150-years ago and his wish was fulfilled. As the word spread, several couples seeking a girl child started visiting the temple.
Manoj Kumar, a villager said, “Every year, several couples come here seeking a daughter. Many of them had their wish granted by the Devi and all the villagers perform Durga puja here with devotion and dedication.” With the pandemic raging, villagers said the puja this year is being done in atoken manner with no frills, he said.
A devotee, Suryakant Singh, said, “We had a son, but felt that the family was incomplete without a daughter. After offering prayers here, we were blessed with a baby girl a few years ago. My family has been visiting this temple every year during Durga puja to bow before the goddess.”
Another resident, Katayani Devi, said she had named her daughter Bhawani after her wish was fulfilled by the goddess. Devi said, “Like me, several people, even pregnant women who wish to have daughters, come here to take the blessings of the goddess. I treat my daughter as a blessed child.”