Chennai: Deity in Peepul tree?

CHENNAI: Sometimes curiosity gets the better of you. That’s what happened at Ramakrishna Street, Adambakkam, when ‘eager’ residents gathered in front of a peepul tree after news spread that the face of ‘Amman’ goddess was visible on its trunk.Located next to the Bhavani Amman Temple and at the entrance of an apartment that is being built, the tree became a hot spot for residents as they smeared vermilion on its trunk and offered prayers after lighting camphor. Even as a big queue of people lined up to have a glimpse of the goddess on the tree, passersby halted briefly to have a peek. While some prostrated on the road seeking the goddess’ blessings, others clicked pictures on their mobile phone cameras.It all started when Adambakkam resident Kumaresan claimed he had a dream of a little girl running towards the tree, on Sunday night. “I noticed that a projection on the trunk of the tree appeared like the face of the amman when I came here on Monday morning. I then informed everyone in the locality,” he said. Soon news spread like wildfire and residents began to assemble.Apart from the buzz, there was another version doing the rounds among the residents that the deity visible on the trunk of the tree was just a story made up to avoid the tree being chopped off as it was at the entrance of the apartment under construction. However, labourers at the site denied that it would be cut off.