While the rest of the country glows with the joy of Karwa Chauth, with women dressing up beautifully and fasting for the long life of their husbands, there is a neighborhood in Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, where darkness and silence take over on this day. In this place, no woman observes a fast, adorns herself, or performs any ritual worship. The reason behind this is a heartbreaking and shocking story that has been passed down for generations.
The Bride Witnessed Her Husband’s Murder
The incident is believed to have taken place hundreds of years ago. A young Brahmin man from Ramnangla village in the Nauhjheel area of Mathura had just been married. He was bringing his new bride home in a buffalo cart after her farewell from her parents’ house. On the way, some men from the Surir area claimed ownership of his buffalo and started an argument. The dispute escalated so much that they murdered the young man — right in front of his newlywed wife.
The Widow’s Curse: “No Married Woman Here Will Ever Adorn Herself Again”
Devastated and furious upon seeing her husband’s dead body, the bride decided to commit sati (self-immolation) on her husband’s funeral pyre. Before dying, she cursed the locality, saying that just as she had lost her husband and was becoming sati, no married woman in that place would ever be able to remain happily adorned with her husband alive.
After that, the area was struck by tragedy — many young men died prematurely, and numerous women became widows. Fear and sorrow enveloped the entire neighborhood.
A Sati Temple Was Built, But Silence Remains on Karwa Chauth
The elders believed these misfortunes were the result of the sati’s curse. To seek forgiveness, they built a temple in her memory and performed rituals and prayers there. Over time, the untimely deaths stopped, but the tradition of celebrating Karwa Chauth never returned.
Even today, no woman in that area observes the festival — no fasting, no adornment, and no moon worship. The silence of this locality on Karwa Chauth continues to remind everyone of the tragic curse of the newly-widowed bride.
