Moonj (Etawah): A temple dedicated to a mythological King Mordhwaj, who is believed to have been blessed by Lord Krishna himself, is generating a buzz among visitors here during the elections.

Candidates, supporters, followers make a mandatory visit to the temple before embarking on their campaigns and the locals believed that those who do not come are not blessed.

Located among thick bushes and thickets on the outskirts of Etawah, the temple is built on a mound and the local people believe that prayers made to the temple deity are always fulfilled.

With elections on, the number of devotees has seen a dramatic increase.

Though the Shivling is more than 1,500 years old and the peepal tree has also been here for decades, the actual temple was built in 2002. Before the temple was built, the shivling was revered by villagers for hundreds of years.

“We have grown up hearing Mordhwaj’s tales. He was a giver who believed in helping others. He never allowed visitors to leave his kingdom without a meal,” said Lallan, a local resident. According to legend, it is said that Lord Krishna and warrior Arjun once came to Mordhwaj’s house along with a tiger. To feed the tiger, they asked Mordhwaj to sacrifice his son and bring the right portion of his body as meat for the animal. The king and his wife pleaded with their visitors to feed something else to their pet instead. But the two did not relent. The couple agreed because they didn’t want to disrespect the visitors.

Krishna came up with another condition. He said if the couple sheds a single tear, the tiger would not accept the meat.

Mordhwaj and his wife took a saw and without shedding a single tear, killed their son.

It was at this point that Krishna and Arjun revealed their true identity and praised the couple for its devotion.

As the two were leaving, Mordhwaj’s son came out alive from the house and hugged his parents.