Siwan(Bihar): Surveer with a population of 3,000 in Bihar has attained a unique distinction as there is not a single temple in the whole village. Here the deity is seated under the open sky and devotees have been worshipping the deity in this way for centuries. According to villagers, explaining why they did not construct the temples in the village, they said, "Whenever anyone tried to construct a temple the person died out of under mysterious circumstances." It is said that the Shivling present here is being guarded by the snake god. Once a villager tried to construct a temple defying everyone he died and soon after this news spread like a wildfire due to which panic spread in the area. So, people assumed that whoever try to build the temple will breathe their last.
Due to fear, no one had ever dared to build a temple here till date. This is the reason that there is not a single temple in the entire village and people worship God in the open space under a tree. According to 80-year-old Sarvanand Pandey, "I came to know from my grandfather that when the Shivling was installed here everything was fine. But, when they tried to bring the Shivling inside the temple, his slippers sank in the soil and blood started coming out of his feet. He died after this incident and since then this village has remained without a temple."
Another story doing the rounds, according to Pandey, "Our ancestors tried to build a temple, but when the pit was dug, a snake came out of it and bit them, due to which they died. Due to this fear of the same, the temple has not been built in the village over the years. There is a tree right next to the Shivling. No one can tell how old it is, but the snake god resides here. Hence, the deity is in the open space." According to the elders of the village, when some people tried to capture the land of Shivling, they also died mysteriously.
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