India: People mistook toilet for temple, pray in front of it

Hamirpur: In a bizarre turn of events, a building that was believed to be a temple has actually turned out to be a toilet.

For more than a year, the residents of Maudaha in Hamirpur district would offer prayers and perform puja outside the door that was locked. No one knew whether any deity was installed inside or not.

"The building that is located in the premises of the community health centre was painted saffron and shaped like a temple. People believed it to be a temple and no one bothered to clarify. It was only recently that an official told us that it was actually a toilet," said Rakesh Chandel, a resident.

He said that the saffron colour of the building caused the confusion. It has now been painted pink. Saffron is associated with Hindu religious beliefs.

According to reports, the toilet was inaugurated more than a year but remained locked up.

Chairman of the Maudaha Nagar Panchayat, Ram Kishore, said: "This public toilet was built by the Nagar Palika Parishad around a year ago and the contractor had it painted saffron. The colour caused much confusion and people mistook it for a temple."

After the colour was changed, the confusion seems to have cleared but the toilet is not yet operational and the authorities are busy playing the blame game.

In several districts in Uttar Pradesh, toilets constructed by the government under the Swachh Bharat scheme have been painted saffron.