Kada Dham (Koshambi Janpad) Uttar Pradesh, April 1: It could appear strange to many but several people in Uttar Pradesh’s Kada Dham in Koshambi Janpad assemble to worship “Donkeys” on the first day of April to invoke divine blessings and prosperity!

Devotees of Sheetla Mata, a local deity at popular pilgrimage center Kada Dham, arrive here from far off areas to worship the beast of burden every year. They bring their donkeys to sell them during a special fair held under the auspices of the temple.

The faith is that since the donkey is attributed to be the carrier of Goddess Sheetla, and anyone worshipping the animal at this temple gets blessed with happiness and prosperity.

"This place is famous for Goddess Sheetla and she has donkey as her carrier. Every year this fair is organized here and thousands of donkeys from all over the place are brought here," said Sharda Prasad Mishra, a resident of Kada Dhaam.

While buying a donkey at the fair, the villagers believe they are taking along good luck with them.

“After buying donkey, we worship the goddess and take the donkeys with us. We believe that it brings in happiness and prosperity. We feel good after performing Puja and the happiness is expected to last through out the year. So, every time we come here, we try to buy a donkey," admitted Jagannath, one of the devotees.

Donkeys are decorated with flowers and red colour and give an affectionate treatment to seek the divine blessings.

Interestingly, the fair coincides with April 1 that is marked as All Fools' Day! (ANI)