In India, most villages are devoted to gods and deities, but rare exceptions exist-such as Bisrakh in Uttar Pradesh, where locals worship Ravan as an ancestor and honour figures traditionally regarded as daityas or mythological demons. One such unique village in Maharashtra stands out for its devotion to a daitya, which has led to the absence of any Hanuman temples - as Hanuman is traditionally seen as the destroyer of such beings. Adding a curious layer to this belief, the village is also notably devoid of Maruti brand cars. The car's name, derived from the Sanskrit word 'Marut' (wind), refers to Hanuman, the 'son of the wind', a connection the villagers seem to avoid.
The village's name is Nandur Nimba Daitya, which is located in the Pathardi taluka of Ahmednagar district. The villagers do not worship Hanuman, do not have Hanuman temples, and even avoid naming their children after him.
The Legend Behind this Belief
The legend surrounding this unique practice involves a conflict between Nimba Daitya and Lord Hanuman, where Nimba Daitya, despite being a demon, is said to have been a devotee of Lord Rama. According to the story, Nimba Daitya appealed to Lord Rama, who then granted him the status of the presiding deity in the village.
The Maruti Effect
According to The Indian Express, in the early 2000s, Dr Subhash Deshmukh had his finger on the pulse of Nandur Nimba Daitya village. He was a popular doctor. His patients, both from the village and from the neighbouring ones, patiently queued up outside his clinic all day. But somehow, all of a sudden, the queue outside his clinic vanished. It didn't take long for the doctor to figure out why - it was the Maruti 800 car he had bought a couple of days earlier. Illogical? Dr Deshmukh didn't think so. He should have known, he thought, and sold his Maruti 800 to buy a Tata Sumo. And then, magically, the queue outside his clinic was back.
As per the news portal, locals also have stories to back their beliefs. "About four months ago, a group of labourers camped here. They were working on a road from Nandur to Bhagwangadh. One night, a labourer started yelling and beating up others. We rushed there and found out that his name was Maruti. "We took him to the Daitya temple, offered prayers, and he was cured," says Ashok Dahiphale, who works in the Pathardi Taluka agriculture office. There is this other story too of two teachers named Maruti who were posted at the government school. They never turned up to take lessons.
The villagers say that though Daitya is their deity, they follow no macabre rituals. "No animal is slaughtered here. We are the only village to worship a Daitya in this state. His idol is worshipped in every house; all of us have immense devotion towards him.
"While many might call us superstitious, we stand by our faith," Digambar Gade, who teaches history at Pathardi, told the Indian Express.
