There are many fascinating temples in India with unique stories attached to them. Devotees flock to these places of worship to offer their tributes to their favourite gods and goddesses.
But have you ever heard of a temple where the bones of a whale are worshipped?
As unbelievable as it may sound, there is such a temple in the Magad Dungari vallage of Valsad Tehsil in Gujarat.
Called Matsya Mataji and constructed by the local community of fishermen, bones of a whale have been worshipped here for over 300 years.
Fishermen take the blessing of this goddess before going for fishing in the sea. They believe that by doing so, they can catch more fish without any obstruction or hassle.
According to legend, a native named Prabhu Tandel had a dream about 300 years ago that a huge fish came to the beach in the form of a goddess but dies on the shore.
The villagers and Tandel went there in the morning and were surprised by the size of the fish which turned out to be a whale.
When Tandel revealed his dream, the villagers believed him and built a temple.
While some people opposed the worship of the whale when the construction of the temple was completed, the bones of the whale were taken out and kept in the temple.
The ones who opposed this, stayed away from any work related to the temple. It is said that due to this behavior whole village had to suffer.
Diseases spread in the village so the people went to the temple and prayed to the goddess who cured them of their illness. It is said that all the patients were healed by the miracle of the mother. After that, all the villagers started worshiping the in the temple.
It is said that descendants of Tandel’s still take care of the temple. Every year a grand fair is organized during Navaratri.
Agencies/ PNN