By: Saroj Thakur

What should I ask for, when I’ve sought thee…

During the Navratras it is a heart-rending sight to see women sleeping on the floor of the temple, seeking a child from the Maa! Thirty kilometres from Baijnath, in Himachal Pradesh, Maa Simsa Temple is situated in Simas village, amidst picturesque surroundings. The thick jungles, the lush green growth, and the steep trails make a pious heart ascend up to pray at the temple of Goddess Simsa.

The folklore about the setting of the temple is as usual what you find about so many temples of the country. But it is the faith of the devotees that makes this temple different.

The legend has it that if a woman comes with a pure heart to the temple of Maa Simsa and sleeps day and night in the temple, abstains from food and fasts, she has a dream - dream about either fruits that symbolise the boon for a child. Strange but true, one hears countless accounts of women bestowed with kids after this experience. It is not that every woman is bestowed with a child but there are some cases where women don’t dream of fruits etc. In such cases the woman has to leave the temple.

It is said that if a woman doesn’t leave the temple in spite of having a dream where her remaining childless is hinted at, she develops red patches on her body that itch a lot and the poor woman has to leave the bed. The temple is full of devotees – some coming to seek boons and others to pay their gratitude. The faith of the people, thronging the temple from far and wide, speaks a lot about the power of the unknown that still makes us wonderstruck at the wonders of nature.