Dhoni’s devotion bankrolls Jharkhand Durga temple

M S Dhoni at the Durga Deori Mandir near Ranchi on Saturday. The temple has seen a substantial increase in footfalls and donations after the Indian skipper’s rise to celebrity.

RANCHI: Even Goddess Durga seems to be basking in the success of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The Team India skipper, who is in his hometown for an eight-day break before the third Test against Australia, visited the Durga Deori Mandir in Ranchi's Maoist-affected Tamar block, around 60km from the state capital on Saturday. His visit was routine - one of many that he's undertaken to the temple over many years. What is striking, though, is how the temple has been transformed due to its Dhoni connection.

Perhaps believing in the largesse of Durga maa to the Indian skipper, footfalls here have gone up from just 50 a day to over 1500. So have the donations. In 2004, when Dhoni made his ODI debut againstBangladesh, the temple barely earned Rs 5000 in monthly donations — today, this figure has touched around Rs 1 lakh. Ma Durga Samiti Deori, the temple trust, says the footfall of devotees has also grown from 50 to 1500 a day with VIPs like Congress MP Subodh Kant Sahayand former chief minister Arjun Munda among the regular visitors.

Incidentally, the goddess' idol — which is unique as it has four hands as against the usual ten — is claimed to have emerged on its own. The temple, which was dilapidated and crumbling due to neglect a decade ago, has now been renovated and even has a boundary wall. Artists from Odisha have been roped in to carve out special designs. The shrine has also emerged as a tourist destination of sorts — the state tourism department has acquired an acre of land for the beautification of the surroundings and an ATM has come up in the vicinity to cater to the needs of the many devotees.

Temple priest Manoj Panda attributes it all to Mahi's charisma. "After media reports surfaced that Dhoni was an ardent devotee of the temple, more and more VIPs started coming here. As a result, the temple has seen more development and renovation in nine years than it did in the 700 years of its existence."

Narsingh Panda, president of Ma Durga Samiti Deori, agrees. "Dhoni has turned around our fate," he exults, almost comparing this feat to how the skipper turns around matches on the field. "Before 2004, an odd VIP or two did stop at the temple while they were heading to Jamshedpur or Kolkata by road, but now a VIP car can be seen outside the premises at any given time."

Even the vendors outside the temple are basking in the reflected glory that Mahi seems to have brought to the mandir. In 2004, there were around 10 shops around the temple; now there are more than 40 shops just to sell prasad. Anil Mahto, a fruit-seller recalls the time when Dhoni used to come here as a virtual unknown. "The thin, scrawny boy who visited the temple a decade ago now comes in as a star with an entourage of supercars and bodyguards. It's a big change."

The belief that Dhoni has become the superstar that he is because of the blessings of Goddess Durga, permeates the air here. If it is indeed so, the skipper seems to be returning the favour now
.