It is incredible but true that a vegetarian crocodile resides in a cave adjacent to a sacred pond within the temple premises in a town called Ananthapura in the Kasargod district of Kerala.
The assailant is not a surprise visitor to the ancient temple, but has been the official resident of the pond that guards the temple for the past 70 years.
The Sri Ananthapura temple priests were in for a surprise Tuesday when Babiya, as the crocodile is affectionately called, emerged from the pond and entered the temple premises for the first time. Images of Babiya in the temple premises are widely shared on social media platforms.
Meet Bibiya, the vegetarian crocodile who guards a temple in Kerala. This photo was taken when he visited the temple early in the morning. She lives in a lake temple in a small town called Ananthapura, in the Kasaragod district.#BeautifulKasargod pic.twitter.com/hOnqrXeKT3
– Deepashree Gireesh (@ Deepash89016327) October 21, 2020
There were rumors suggesting that Babiya had entered the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, but they have been spoiled by temple officials.
However, the gentle vegetarian crocodile entered the temple premises on Tuesday night, spent some time, and returned after the temple’s chief priest, Chandraprakash Nambisan, asked him to return to the temple pond, the temple official said. Chandrasekharan.
The locals believe that Babiya is a vegetarian crocodile and has been the resident of the temple pond for more than 70 years.
However, no one is sure how he came to be here and who named him. So far, there has been no history of wild behavior and the gentle reptile is even friendly enough to share the pond with the priests who sometimes bathe in its holy water. The fact is, Babiya has never attacked anyone.
Despite the fact that the temple pond has enough fish and other forms of aquatic life, Babiya follows a vegetarian diet and consumes the food that is offered to the deity, which consists of cooked rice and brown sugar. According to temple officials, the temple priests feed Babiya twice a day, sometimes even placing the rice balls in her mouth.
However, wildlife experts say that Babiya comes from a raiding crocodile that usually survives on fish, reptiles, rodents, and temple offerings consisting of rice, bananas, and puffed rice can be its dietary supplements.
The Ananthapura temple is of great importance and is considered the moolasthanam (main seat) of the famous Sri Ananathapadmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvanathapuram.
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