Corona Mata Temple at Uttar Pradesh

In Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, a ‘Corona Mata’ temple has come up at Shuklapur village. The temple has been built by the villagers during second wave of the pandemic.

The temple has been built to offer prayers to Corona Mata to ward off Covid-19 in Shuklapur and the adjoining villages. People are following the Covid-19 protocols while visiting the temple and offering their prayers. People are wearing masks and following the norms of social distancing. 

An idol named as 'Corona Mata' which is wearing a mask has been kept in the temple. Villagers claimed, “After witnessing the coronavirus pandemic and its deadly impact which snatched lives of thousands of people, we decided to set up Corona Mata mandir under a ‘neem’ tree with full belief that praying to the deity would definitely offer respite to people from the deadly disease.”

Radhe Shyam, the temple priest, said: “We have earlier heard the name of ‘Chechak Mata’ (smallpox mother) who cured the disease. Similarly, we have set up Corona Mata mandir with thith the belief that Mata would solve all the difficulties. WWe collected funds for the villagers.” He said, however, this was not the first time such a temple has come up in the country. “When plague and other deadly diseases like smallpox spread across villages and towns and killed many people years back, people also worshipped Chechak Mata.”

“With the setting up of the temple and installation of Corona Mata idol, we feel protected and believe that Mata’s blessings would save us from the deadly disease forever,”the villagers said.