God’s own crocodile: Kerala temple accords ‘bhu samadhi’ to Babiya

Hundreds of devotees paid homage to the crocodile named Babiya, at the premises of Sree Ananthapadmanabha Swamy Temple at Kumbla on Monday. (Twitter)

“We had the rituals and prayers associated with the burial of a Hindu swamiji. The body was lowered to the pit near the temple. In future, devotees can come and pray at the ‘samadhi’,’’ said temple trust board chairman Udaya Kumar.

Earlier, Babiya had hit the headlines after devotees claimed that it was a vegetarian crocodile and eventually attained a divine status after it was seen consuming the offerings at the temple (rice and jaggery).

“We don’t claim that the crocodile was fully vegetarian. However, it used to consume the offerings of the temple,’’ Udaya Kumar said.

Condoling Babiya’s death, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shoba Karandlaje tweeted: “Babiya, the God’s own crocodile of Sri Ananthapura Lake temple has reached Vishnu Padam. The divine crocodile lived in the temple’s lake for over 70 years by eating the rice & jaggery prasadam of Sri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy & guarded the temple.’’

The crocodile was never known to have turned violent or attacked a devotee. It lived in the temple pond along with fish. Two years back, it was spotted on the steps of the temple’s sanctum sanctorum.

Babiya was offered the prasadam (offering) twice a day after the pujas at the temple. (Twitter)

There are no records at the temple to show how this crocodile reached the temple pond even as there is no river or any other water body in the vicinity. Temple lore says a British soldier had shot a crocodile at the shrine in 1945 and within a few days another one appeared. Hence, Babiya was believed to be in its 70s.

The temple trust board chairman said nobody knows when and why the male crocodile was given the name Babiya.

Another version about the presence of the crocodile is that the centuries-old temple, which is situated in a pond, had a huge stock of valuables. To dissuade thieves or enemies from plundering the wealth, the temple authorities had reared a crocodile in the pond. In the past, one could reach the temple only after crossing the pond. Later, a bridge was constructed over the pond up to the temple.