Kerala’s vegetarian crocodile Babiya dies at Ananthapura lake temple

Ananthapura: Kerala’s vegetarian crocodile ‘Babiya’, who was living in the lake of Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple, died yesterday.

The 75-year-old Babiya was found dead in the temple lake on Sunday night.

A large number of devotees thronged the shrine to pay their last respect to the divine crocodile, who had been guarding the Ananthapura lake temple in Majeshwaram taluk of Kasaragod district for past seven decades. The last rites of Babiya took place with chanting of Vishnu Sahasranam.

Babiya was the special attraction of the temple.

According to reports, Babiya used to appear before the devotees and bless them by taking their offerings at the temple. She was given temple’s naivedyam (prasad) twice a day after the morning and afternoon pujas.

The large crocodile was never a threat to anyone in the temple. She was adorable to devotees as well as the priest of the temple. She had never harmed other organisms and fish in the lake. She was receiving only offerings made by devotees and the temple for food.