Vegetarian crocodile that lived in Kerala temple pond dies, hundreds pay homage.

The crocodile Babiya, which ate only the rice and jaggery offerings at the temple, had been a major attraction among devotees who attributed divinity to the otherwise carnivorous animal.

A vegetarian crocodile which had been living in a temple pond in Kerala’s Kasaragod district for more than seven decades died Sunday night. Hundreds of devotees paid homage to the crocodile, named Babiya, when its body was placed in a mobile freezer on the premises of the Sree Ananthapadmanabha Swamy Temple at Kumbla on Monday.

The crocodile, which lived in the pond by eating only the rice and jaggery offerings at the temple, had been a major attraction among devotees who attributed divinity to the otherwise carnivorous animal. Babiya was offered the prasadam (offering) twice a day after the pujas at the temple.

The creature was never known to have turned violent or attacked devotees. Two years ago, the crocodile made its way to the steps of the temple’s sanctum sanctorum.

The temple has no records that indicate how the large reptile reached its pond when there is no river or 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 crocodile, later named Babiya, emerged.

After learning of its demise, Union Minister Shobha 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.’’

It is believed that the temple is the original seat or moolasthanam of Padmanabha (Vishnu), the deity at the famous Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

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