Bihar is home to several ancient temples steeped in local legends, but one such shrine has recently drawn attention after being linked to Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia’s upcoming film Vvaan: Force of the Forest. While films like Stree, Bhediya, and Munjya told the tales of Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, and Maharashtra, this upcoming film is the story of a folklore from Bihar and is inspired by the mysterious Van Devi Temple, believed to be around 400 years old. Found it interesting so far? Let’s understand Bihar’s mysterious temple and how it inspired the film.
Is Vvaan based on a real story?
Sidharth Malhotra and Tamannaah Bhatia’s upcoming film is inspired by Bihar’s Van Temple. The fact was revealed by writer Arunabh Kumar. The film’s writer and director Deepak Kumar Mishra also opened up about the inspiration behind the film, revealing that its story has roots in a real-life folklore associated with the Van Devi Temple near Patna. Speaking to ANI, Arunabh Kumar said, “The story behind that temple is that it was built in the 16th century.” Recalling the stories and legends around the forest during his Van Devi Temple visit, he said, “In the forest, there were some things that used to trouble the people around there, and there was a tradition that people were forbidden to visit the forest after sunset. The folklore still remains in place.” That is where the story of Vvaan was born. The Van Devi Temple (Maa Van Devi Mandir) is a 400-year-old forest shrine located near Bihta, roughly 35 km west of Patna, Bihar, at the meeting point of Amhara, Raghopur, and Kanchanpur villages. Instead of a traditional idol, the goddess is worshipped here as a sacred stone pind. The temple is associated with the worship of Van Devi, regarded by devotees as the guardian deity of the forest. Over generations, local communities have preserved stories surrounding the shrine, with the temple’s remote setting and forest-linked traditions adding to its air of mystery.
A legend behind the guardian of the forest
According to local beliefs, the deity protects the surrounding forests and the people who live near them. The temple is also connected with folk traditions that have been passed down through generations. While several legends surround the shrine, many of these accounts are part of local oral history rather than documented historical records. According to legends, a devotee of the goddess named Vidyanand Mishra, who was from Raghopur, played a key role in the temple’s origin. He regularly travelled far to worship Maa Vindhyavasini in Vindhyachal. After he grew old, the journey of worshipping the goddess became difficult due to the long distance, but he continued travelling every time to worship the goddess. Pleased by his pure devotion, the goddess appeared in his dream and told him to bring a piece of her sacred pind to his local forested home. He established the sacred stone where the borders of Amhara, Raghopur, and Kanchanpur villages meet, a region once covered by deep, dense woods.
