Priest Refuses to Leave Temple as Floodwaters Swallow Chitrakoot's Ramghat
During a severe flood in Chitrakoot, District Magistrate Pulkit Garg and SP Arun Kumar Singh urged a temple priest to evacuate, but he stayed, citing his duty to the deity.
After more than a day of intense rainfall, the Mandakini River surged five metres above the danger mark, inundating temples, homes and shops in Chitrakoot's Ramghat district. District Magistrate Pulkit Garg and Superintendent of Police Arun Kumar Singh arrived at the Bada Math temple and pleaded with the resident priest to evacuate as floodwaters surrounded the structure. The priest answered that his lifelong devotion to the deity prevented him from leaving, trusting that whatever happened would be God's will.
While several devotees and staff members relocated, the priest stayed inside the flooded premises. Authorities resumed their wider rescue operation, deploying boats, loudspeaker alerts and National Disaster Response Force units to move stranded residents to safer locations. River levels later fell slightly, but continued rain kept the situation precarious.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the clash between religious devotion and public safety during natural disasters.
In this story
