The water in a well, located in Barabanki district, is reported to have acquired medicinal properties and is believed to be a sure shot cure for jaundice and liver dysfunctions.
The well located in Bibipur village under Kothi police station, about 21 km form the district headquarters, is said to be ancient with significance in Hindu mythology.
It is believed that the Pandavs, during their exile before Mahabharat, stayed here and performed “yagna” which had given magical properties to the well.
Local priest Pandit Diwakar Tiwari said that every Sunday and Tuesday, the water in the well acquires medicinal properties and anyone who drinks this water gets cured of various ailments.
“People throng this well every Sunday and Tuesday and water is drawn from the eastern direction only. The water in the rest of the well does not have the curing properties. Moreover, the water must be taken before sunrise. Initially, only the local people knew about this but now we have people coming from as far as Bihar to get cured by its waters,” he said.
The local doctors and officials in the health department term this as a superstition and insist that the well has no such magical properties.
Dr Sarvesh Saxena, posted in the Barabanki district hospital, terms the reports about the well as “baseless” and says that since the water is sweet and free from chemicals, it must be giving a feeling of well being to the patient.
Mohd Saif, a businessman in Barabanki, claims that he was cured of jaundice simply by drinking the water from the well.