Monkey deaths leads to building of temples

No monkey business this. The sudden death of two monkeys after fall from trees in two
districts of Jharkhand generated mass symapthy culminating in decisions to build temples of the Lord Hanuman in their memory.

On January 12, one of a couple, which lived on a Kusum tree opposite to a Durga temple at Raghunathpur village in Saraikela-Kharswan district, fell down and died an instant death.

A large number of people soon gathered on hearing the mysterious death of the monkey. Believing that it was the incarnation of the Lord Hanuman, the crowd placed the dead monkey on a concrete platform near the Durga temple and called a priest who performed a puja and lit incense-sticks.

Later, the villagers took out a funeral procession of the monkey going round the village and  buried it on a piece of land owned by the gram pradhan Baidyanath Mahto who is a retired school teacher.

On the advice of the priest, the villagers also performed rituals spanning three days and decided to build a temple.

Mahto said the village had temples of Durga and Shiva but not a temple of Lord Hanuman in the village and wanted to build one soon. The police visited the spot later.

In the second incident, a monkey similarly fell down from a tree at Chakulia village in East Singhbhum village last Saturday and became unconscious. A dog then attacked the
monkey and killed it. 

Soon people gathered in large number and paid obeisance to the dead monkey in a manner only befitting a celebrity. Like in the former incident, local people took a
decision to build a temple of the Lord Hanuman at the village in his memory.

Both incidents have been confirmed by the police.