Bears visiting Odisha temple to savour bhog [watch]

Bhubaneswar/Nuapada: At a time when reports on human-animal conflicts have been coming in from different places of Odisha in recent past, the bonding between devotees and bears at the Adishakti Chhuaari Mata Temple in Nuapada district have amused many.

Two bears have been visiting the Adishakti Chhuaari Mata Temple located in Salihaa reserve forest under Nuapada Sadar block twice daily – morning and evening during the Navartari. Moreover, the two animals eat coconut and bananas offered to the Goddess.

With excitement devotees have been giving coconuts and bananas to the two bears on the premises of the temple.

One of the devotees said, “It seems the two bears have been coming to the Chhuaari Mata Temple to offer obeisance to the Goddess every day. After taking the bhog offered to the Goddess, the two bears feel blessed and return to forest.”

Be it hunger or the Goddess blessing, whatever could be the reason behind the visit of the two bears, there has been a lot of interest among the devotees to offer the bhog to the two fur wild animals, said another visitor to the temple.