Mahabubnagar: Some avoid food, while others shy away from work

Mahabubnagar: People in villages and towns of erstwhile Mahbubnagar performed various rituals and pujas on the occasion of the solar eclipse that was witnessed from 10 am onwards in morning on Thursday.

As already, the Endowments department had issued orders that all the temples across the 5 districts of Mahbubnagar, Gadwal, Nagarkurnool, Narayanpet and Wanaparthy would be closed for more than 3 hours during the solar eclipse as it is believed inauspicious as per the Hindu religion.

On the other hand, people in various villages and even in urban towns performed various activities during the solar eclipse and offered prayers.

For instance, in Kottakota mandal of Wanaparthy district many families performed the act of standing a wooden pistil in a brass plate filled with turmeric water. As per their belief, the pistle stands tall without falling until the solar eclipse is over and once the solar eclipse is over, the pistle automatically falls down.

"We have been performing this ritual since ages during solar eclipse. Usually during normal days, the pestle will not stand in a plate on its base, but it is only during solar eclipse it will stand on its base and will last until the solar eclipse is over," said Veeraiah of Kottakota mandal, who performed this ritual.

The people in Kottakota believes that it is because of God's miracle only that the pistle is standing straight in the plate and they offered prayers to the Sun God during the solar eclipse.

In another incident, a few families in Shankarayapally village stopped cooking in the morning as they felt it was inauspicious to cook food or eat food during solar eclipse. It is believed that during the solar eclipse the Rahu-Ketu demons engulf the sun god and any act they do during this inauspicious moment will bring bad omen to their families.

"We have been following a tradition in our village, that during solar and lunar eclipse we do not cook or eat food, as it will cause health problems. This type of believe has been followed since ages and we still continue it," said Shankar Nayak.

In some areas, during solar eclipse the people shy away to do any kind of beginnings or inaugurations and they take it up only after the solar eclipse is over and after performing a special prayer only they take up any new work of project.

In some villages, the pregnant women were not allowed to go out during solar eclipse, as they believe that rays that come from the sun during the solar eclipse may cause damage to the foetus or infant baby in the mother's womb.

While scientists and astronomical scholars observed that the solar and lunar eclipses are just celestial happenings and it has no link to human life or impact on human life, they expressed their concern that people are still observing superstitious believes and continue to uphold their traditional rituals and believes, which has no scientific base or linked directly to the solar eclipse. "Solar eclipse is observed when the moon passes between the sun and earth. During this time when the sun, moon and earth come in the same line then the people who are directly in line on the earth will observe solar eclipse. There is no impact on humans of this celestial happening and it is only a belief among some of the religions that during such happenings it will bring bad omen," observed a professor from Physics department in Palamuru University.