Bhubaneswar/Kasaragod: Babiya, the famous ‘vegetarian’ crocodile at the Sri Anandapadmanabha Swamy temple in Kasaragod district of Kerala passed away on Sunday at the age of 75.
The final rituals of Babiya were held at the temple on Monday and it was buried. Hundreds of devotees paid homage to the crocodile.
As per the temple authorities, Babiya used to feed on the temple prasadam (offering) made of rice and jaggery and did not harm anyone. It was believed that it protected the temple. She was found dead in the temple lake on Sunday night.
Temple lore says a British soldier had shot a crocodile at the temple in 1945. The soldier died within a few days of snakebite and another crocodile, later named Babiya, appeared in the lake.
Two years ago, pictures of Babiya making its way to the steps of the temple’s sanctum sanctorum had gone viral. Babiya performing ‘Darshanam’ in front of the shrine got a lot of publicity on social media.
