Anuraag Singh By

Express News Service

BHOPAL: A frog couple married nearly two months ago to bring rain in parched Madhya Pradesh was divorced symbolically on Wednesday – to end the destructive spell of rain.

On July 19, two frogs were wedded in Bhopal in the superstitious belief that the wedlock of frogs ushers in rain on dry land.

Members of the local voluntary group Om Shiva Sewa Shakti Mandal in Indrapuri area claimed that as per long-standing religious beliefs, marrying off the croaking couple propitiates Indra (the Hindu god of rain) consequently bringing rains.

"The prayers were answered within a few days as the elusive monsoon started ushering its might over Bhopal and adjoining regions. But with rain now turning destructive, another ritual of separating the frog couple before the god was performed on Wednesday with a strong hope of ending the enduring spell of destructive rain," said members of the group.

During the symbolic separation ceremony held at a Shiva temple, two clay frogs were placed before the Shiva linga and later separated from each other amid chants of mantras.

Members of the group believed that this ritual marking the symbolic separation of the amphibian couple would bring relief from the rain in the capital and neighbourhood.

Interestingly, the superstitious ritual of frogs being married for invoking rain gods has been a long-standing practice across the Hindi heartland, particularly the Bundelkhand region.

It remains to be seen whether this eerie ritual ends the rain fury or not, particularly when the weatherman has forecast no immediate respite from the rain.

Meanwhile, the Met department issued a fresh orange alert of heavy rain over the next 24 hours for 19 districts, including Bhopal on Thursday. The weatherman has forecast no respite from the rain in the coming two-three days.

According to the state Met department statistics released on Thursday, Bhopal has received 77 per cent above normal rainfall between June 1, 2019 and August 12, 2019. In the same period, Bhopal recorded 1570.4 mm rain, which was 77 per cent more than the normal rainfall of 885.3 mm.