Decades-old crocodile of Sri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy temple in Kasaragod dead
Kasaragod (Kerala) (PTI): A decades-old lone crocodile, claimed to be a vegetarian, that inhabited the lake at the Sri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy temple here and often found roaming inside its premises was found dead late on Sunday night.
Temple officials told PTI that the crocodile, fondly called Babia, was missing since Saturday. Thereafter, the carcass was found floating on the lake around 11.30 pm on Sunday night and the same was conveyed to the police and the animal husbandry department, temple officials said.
The carcass was removed from the lake and put on public display as hundreds of people, including politicians, turned up on Monday for a last glimpse of the crocodile.
Temple officials claimed the crocodile was a vegetarian which subsisted on the 'prasadam' made there.
Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shobha Karandlaje said she hoped that the "God's own crocodile", which lived at the temple for over 70 years, attains 'sadgati' or salvation.
"Babiya, the god's own crocodile of Sri Anantapura Lake temple has reached Vishnu Padam. The divine crocodile lived in the temple's lake for over 70 years by eating the rice & jaggery prasadam of Sri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy & guarded the temple. May she attain Sadgati, Om Shanti!," she tweeted.
BJP state president K Surendran also paid tribute to the crocodile in a Facebook post. "Babiya has left. For decades, was a constant presence at the Kumbla Ananthapuram Mahavishnu temple. Millions of devotees sought its darshan, considering it as the image of God. Pranamam," he said.
Temple officials said that the carcass of the crocodile would be buried before Monday noon in a pit nearby.
The Mahavishnu temple is located at Ananthapura near Kumbla in the northern Kerala district of Kasaragod. The temple is known as the 'moolasthanam', the original source, of the Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple of Thiruvananthapuram, according to its website.
The temple's website also claims that a "very unusual phenomenon" there was the presence of a single crocodile in the temple lake, named 'Babia'.
"By tradition, the lake is inhabited by a single crocodile and in the memory of the very aged men the present crocodile happens to be the third one they have seen. When one crocodile dies another one inevitably appears in the lake and this continues to be an unexplained phenomenon," the website stated.
"There is no river or pond nearby where crocodiles exist. The crocodile is friendly and harmless to human beings. Its presence in the lake around the Mahavishnu temple reminds one of the well-known Gajendra Moksha stories in the Bhagavatha Puranam," it further said.
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Talks on non-veg food demand at Kannada Sahitya Sammelana on dec 16: Min. Chaluvarayaswamy
Mandya: District In-Charge Minister and reception committee chairman N. Chaluvarayaswamy announced plans to meet with progressive organizations that have requested the inclusion of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food at the upcoming 87th Kannada Sahitya Sammelana. The discussions will take place on Monday, December 16.
Speaking after inspecting the conference stage preparations on Saturday, Chaluvarayaswamy stated that leaders of these organizations have requested a meeting to address their demands. He assured that arrangements for the large gathering—expected to attract one to one-and-a-half lakh participants—will prioritize convenience for attendees.
He added that construction of the stage is progressing swiftly and will be completed by Tuesday or Wednesday. Chaluvarayaswamy plans to oversee the construction work personally to ensure its timely completion.
The conference will give prominence to discussions on diverse topics, including agriculture and literature. The Minister expressed satisfaction with the collective efforts of the District Collector, Sahitya Parishad members, MLAs, former MLAs, organizations, and the general public in making the event a success.
The event was also attended by MLA Ravikumar Ganiga, Legislative Council Member Dinesh Gooli gowda, Mysugar President C.D. Gangadhar, District Collector Dr. Kumar, and other officials and leaders.
