Locals say some 400 years ago, the village was cursed by gods when they were distracted while trying to build a temple. (Photo: ANI)

For the last 400 years, a village in Madhya Pradesh has practiced a strange tradition whereby women are not allowed to deliver newborns inside the village boundary.

The tradition stems from a belief that the village has been cursed by the gods, reported news agency ANI.

Residents of Sanka Shyam Ji village in Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh say the tradition is in the vogue since the 16th century.

For the past 400 years, no women from this village ever delivered a child in the village. Residents express fear that if a woman delivers a child inside the village, either the newborn will be deformed or the child or mother will die.

ANI in its report said the village elders claimed that the village was cursed by Gods sometime around the 16th century.

The locals say that when gods were trying to build a temple in this village, they got distracted by a woman who was grinding wheat. Angered over this, the villagers say, the gods cursed the village that no child shall be born there.

Since then, pregnant women are taken outside the village boundary at the time of delivery. A separate room has also been constructed for this.

Speaking to ANI, Narendra Gurjar, village sarpanch, said, "It is believed that the construction of a temple by gods was disrupted by a woman and hence the curse was set upon this village."

He added: "Nearly 90 per cent of the deliveries take place in the hospitals. In case of an emergency, deliveries also take place outside the village boundary."

(With inputs from ANI)

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