Rajkanika: Even as people build strong doors in their houses, a village in the state has not witnessed any theft despite the villagers not having doors in their homes due to their unflinching faith on the village deity.
This may sound untrue, but in reality, residents of Sialia village under Baradia panchayat of the block do not put up doors during the construction of their houses.
The villagers belive that the deity will save them from all evils, go to sleep at night by keeping their houses open from all sides. They fear that if they put up doors in their houses they might face the wrath of the deity.
The village in Baradia panchayat of the block in Kendrapara district is surrounded by large tracts of farmlands from all sides with its natural setting, is sure to enthral any visitor.
This has come at a time when rising incidents of thefts and dacoities have become a concern for the people and the law keepers.
Reports about miscreants striking various houses and decamping with valuables and even not hesitating to kill the family members are nothing new these days.
However, the Sialia village comprising 40 families with a population of over 300 is an exception where the villagers have unflinching faith in the village deity Maa Kharakhai Thakurani. Members of various communities and faith live in the village, but the villagers are bound to a sense of brotherhood and have never experienced any fight among themselves.
While villages in the neighbourhood have witnessed thefts and dacoities, the miscreants have never set their eyes on this village.
While other villages have witnessed epidemic and diseases, this village is free from them. A few years back, a storm caused much destruction in several villages under this block but this village was protected from all sides.
The villagers believe there is nothing to fear with the deity by their side. The deity, one of the incarnations of Goddess Durga, has 10 hands and can be found firmly seated on a door under a banyan tree at the village-end. The Goddess is worshipped with basil leaves according to Vaishnavite form of worship.
They believe that as the deity is seated on their house doors, outsiders can do no harm to them. In the past, a Muslim person living in the village went against the practice and put up doors in his house, but fled from the village after experiencing loss of lives and properties.
Long back, a youth tried to steal a banana from a neighbour’s tree, but his hand and sickle got stuck in the tree and he was caught red-handed after the villagers woke up in the morning.
When contacted, villager Narahari Nayak (86) said the villagers are living peacefully with all happiness because of the blessings of the deity.
Amar Das, secretary of the shrine committee, said that Kartik Purnima is the major festival when people from outside the state visits the shrine to seek blessings of the deity. PNN
