Kanpur, March 21 (IANS) Flowers, fruits and incense sticks are not quite what devotees bring to a temple in Kanpur. To appease the deity, they make an offering of locks made of gold, silver and other precious metals.

This unusual way of worship has become a tradition at the Kali Mata temple in the Bangali Mohaal area of Kanpur, about 80 km from Lucknow.

'It's been around 60 years since the practice came into existence at the temple believed to have been built in 1949,' Ravindra Naththe, head priest at the Kali temple, told IANS on telephone from Kanpur.

'Devotees thronging the temple generally offer locks made of iron, but on a number of occasions, particularly during Navratri - a nine-day festival dedicated to goddess Durga - people offer special locks made of gold, silver and other precious metals,' he added.

On an average, around 500 people visit the temple every day and offer locks before a massive idol of Kali Mata. The locks are not directly put in front of the idol, but are tied in strings attached to a number of pillars erected a few metres away from the idol.

There's an interesting story behind the unique custom being followed by the devotees.

It is believed that Tara Chand, the first priest of the temple, who also got it constructed, fastened the idol with chains and locks after an ardent devotee of the goddess was falsely implicated in a murder case.

Tara Chand had pledged that he would not unfasten the chains or open the locks till the goddess blessed the devotee and his innocence was proved.

'After the devotee was jailed, Taraji did not perform the usual 'pooja' and 'aarti' and left the idol tied in chains and locks. It continued for several months. However, things started changing in favour of the devotee and he was released by the court,' said Kedar Kumar, another priest of the temple.

'Since then, the unusual practice of offering locks came into existence and is alive till today. With locks in their hands, devotees in huge numbers turn up at the temple premises and pray before the goddess to solve their problems and to bless them the same way she blessed the ardent devotee who was set free by the court,' he added.

The usual strength of 500-odd devotees visiting the temple every day rises drastically during the Navratri festival - which is observed twice a year and is on right now - and reaches up to 2,500-3,000.

Devotees from several parts of Uttar Pradesh and other states throng the temple.

'I have been coming here for the last eight years. On my first visit, I prayed to the mother to bless me with a child. Months later, I was blessed with a baby boy,' said Chitranjan Ambasht, a Bihar resident.

(Asit Srivastava can be contacted at asit.s@ians.in)