The power of belief: THIS temple in South India is believed to help people be cured of diabetes

When science had not advanced and medicines were only wild herbs and berries, humans looked towards the Gods, and their faith, to protect themselves from trouble and disease. Be it visiting temple after temple to cure paralysis, to asking the Gods to bless couples with a child, people do it all.
And while this worship and rituals don’t give a sure shot cure, they do give a feeling of hope and power.

A disease that is gripping Indians more quickly than ever is Diabetes. Mostly called ‘sugar’, because it is the result of excess sugar, Diabetes has millions of victims. It occurs when the body can’t produce enough insulin or doesn’t use it effectively, and then it leads to high blood sugar levels, which over time can affect the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and even the heart.
People who have diabetes have to take tons of medicines to keep their blood sugar levels in check, have to get their blood tested everyday, or about once a week, need to take an Insulin shot after food, and sometimes even more than once in a day, and much more.
The worst part? It is not completely curable, but can just be managed.

And in between the diabetes medicines, there comes faith through a temple in South India.
Located in Tamil Nadu, the Venni Karumbeswarar Temple is over a thousand years old, and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. He is worshipped here as Karumbeswarar, which means ‘Lord of Sugarcane’.
And the temple has gained attention in recent years because of one specific belief that praying here can help cure or control diabetes.(Image: templeconnect_/Instagram)

Lord Shiva is in this temple in the form of a Shivling, or a Lingam, and the unique part is that around the Shivling are Sugarcane sticks adorning him. And the Shivling Abhishekam here is done with not just milk, curd, and honey, but also sugarcane juice. Devotees come from thousands of kilometers away to offer certain things to Lord Shiva and pray for a cure in return to their diabetes problems.

For decades now, people visit this temple to ask Lord Shiva to cure them of diabetes and pray sincerely to him. In fact, it is said that years ago, some people actually noticed a drop in their blood sugar levels after they visited the temple, and thus began the cycle of devotees paying their respect to Lord Shiva in this form. It is believed that some devotees also had their medicines reduced by the doctor after visiting the temple.

The Shivling adorned with sugarcane is not the only unique thing about the temple. The offering to Lord Shiva will also put you in awe.
Although diabetic patients are told to avoid sweets, offering sweet rice and sugar at the temple is seen as the perfect offering. And some say that this symbolically shows that devotees are handing over their sugar-related craving and illness to the Lord, and asking him to rid them of the disease.

In between a crowd of people who come here every once in a while to pray to Lord Shiva to cure them, there are also some who believe it is all fake because Diabetes cannot be managed without lifestyle changes and medication. And so they believe that no temple or ritual can replace the role of insulin or regular check-ups.
And if you are someone who believes in both traditional thought and modern medicine, make sure to keep a fair balance between the two. Make sure to eat less sugar, take medication, and get yourself checked, and also visit a temple to ask God for a miracle cure if you wish to.