BENGALURU, Feb 3: Thousands of devotees are thronging a temple in Karnataka to experience the spiritual miracle of an idol of Shivalinga opening its eyes. It is claimed that it had happened earlier also, 17 years ago, marking the end of a surging dengue contagion in the State. So this time it could be coronavirus, the priests are reported to have forecast.

The priest of the Shankaralinga temple claims to have had the darshan on Monday when he opened the sanctum sanctorum early in the morning for conducting the usual rituals. As an astonished priest's word spread at lightning speed, the believers began swarming the temple to witness the miracle. The Shankaralinga temple is located in Gokak taluka in Belagavi district known for its mesmerising waterfalls.

Meanwhile, rationalists have dismissed the gimmick as a ploy to replenish the hundi collections lost in the pandemic lockdown. They say Satappa priest's claim resembles the miracle of Ganesha drinking milk, starting from Delhi, way back in 1995. The event occurred in Delhi on September 21, 1995 and the spectacle of minute liquid streams acquiring conditional tensile strength was replicated across the world. A humble show of surface tension!

While the temple must have earned good offerings pulling a fast one on the devout, some media houses which are asking for fee to read the stuff are not far behind!