New Delhi: Pictures of ‘Bibiya’, a vegetarian crocodile that guards the Sri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy Lake Temple in north Kerala, have gone viral on social media.
According to a report in The Indian Express, the crocodile has been living in a cave near the temple pond for over 70 years.
“We don’t know how and where the crocodile came from, but it is said that the crocodile has been in the temple pond for over 70 years now,” Mahalingeshwara Bhat, chairman of the temple’s board of trustees, was quoted as saying.
“Legend has it that back in 1945, a crocodile which was also later called Bibiya, appeared in the temple pond days after a British army officer was mysteriously killed by an unknown animal. It was said that the officer had shot a crocodile which was residing in the temple at that time,” he added.
In the viral pictures, Subrahmanya Bhat, main priest of the temple, is seen standing in front of the crocodile inside the temple.
The priest said that the crocodile usually wanders near the temple at night after the rituals are over and sleeps on the platform in front of the ‘Sreekovil’, the sanctum sanctorum, of the temple. When the temple opens at dawn, the reptile goes back into the pond.
The crocodile feeds on the offerings made to the deity of the temple and, till date, has not harmed anyone, said the priest.
New Delhi: Rajya Sabha member and senior Congress leader on Monday listed out a set…
The 17th season of the Indian Premier League is drawing closer to the final act,…
Bhubaneswar: Dismissing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s claim about BJP forming government in Odisha after the…
New Delhi: One of the biggest fashion nights, the 2024 Met Gala is commencing today,…
Nabarangpur: Beginning his speech with 'Jay Jagannath', Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday exhorted people…
Berhampur: Sanakhemundi in Odisha’s Ganjam is getting ready for a tough three-way fight between Congress…
New Delhi: After Delhi, several schools in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad received threat e-mails on Monday. The…
New Delhi: The Congress office in Uttar Pradesh's Amethi was attacked at around midnight on…