What do crocodiles eat? Fish, birds, mammals, right? What if I tell you about a crocodile who is a vegetarian and loves eating rice? Hard to believe? Well it’s not at all a joke. A lake temple in Kerala, which is also known as the only lake temple in the state houses this vegetarian crocodile. Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple in Kasaragod, Kerala is where Babiya, a vegetarian crocodile lives and enjoys rice.
Babiya, A Vegetarian Crocodile Lives On Temple’s Prasadam
Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple is a lake temple situated in Ananthapura village of Kasaragod district in Kerala. Babiya is a crocodile that has been living in the temple’s lake for 70 years now. The crocodile is known as Kerala’s vegetarian crocodile for it is said that it lives on the temple’s prasadam. The temple’s staff feeds rice balls to the crocodile twice a day and says that he has been doing it for the last 10 years. He feeds the rice balls right into the vegetarian crocodile’s mouth. Many also say that the existence of the crocodile in the lake is very mysterious. The chairman of the temple’s board of trustees, Mahalingeshwara Bhat, said that they have no clue where the crocodile came from but is known to be Lord Padmanabha’s messenger.
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A Vegetarian Crocodile Who Is Everyone’s Friend
The vegetarian crocodile is a friend to all the temple priests who do not hesitate taking a bath in the lake knowing that an adult crocodile exists there. There are pictures of the main priest of the temple standing right in front of the crocodile fearlessly. The crocodile roams around the temple at night after the day’s last rituals are completed. The vegetarian crocodile has never attacked anyone and peacefully returns to the lake in the dawn when the temple opens. It has also never attacked any animal or bird and co-exists with the fishes in the lake. The temple is known as the ‘Moolasthanam’ which means the original source of Padhmanabha Swamy.
Meet Bibiya, The vegetarian crocodile that guards a temple in Kerala.
This picture was taken when she visited temple early morning..
She lives in a lake temple in a small village called Ananthapura, in Kasaragod district#BeautifulKasargod pic.twitter.com/hOnqrXeKT3
— Ditya (@Deepash89016327) October 21, 2020
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