650 goats sacrificed in Orissa to appease deity

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Copyright 2007 HT Media Ltd.

 

 

Indo-Asian News Service

April 2, 2007 Monday 2:36 PM EST

358 words

 

650 goats sacrificed in Orissa to appease deity

Indo-Asian News Service

 

Bhadrak (Orissa)

 

 

Bhadrak (Orissa), April 2 -- Around 650 goats were sacrificed at a

Kali temple in Orissa as part of an annual ritual despite a ban by

the local administration, an official said Monday.

 

The sacrifice was made at the Rakshya Kali temple at Rameswarpur

village in Bhadrak district, about 170 km from state capital

Bhubaneswar, Saturday night. The incident came to light Monday after

some officials and villagers reported it.

 

The mass sacrifice is held once a year in the Hindu month of

Chaitra. " Our village is always guarded by Rakshya Kali. It is a 72-

year-old tradition, " villager Dibakar Barik told IANS.

 

" Earlier, devotees used to offer buffaloes as sacrifice. Now we

sacrifice goats, " he said.

 

According to local police, who witnessed the event, the area around

the temple's sacrificial altar was soaked in blood. The animals were

first garlanded before being led to the altar and their cries got

drowned by the beating of drums.

 

Some devotees even scrambled to touch the blood of the sacrificed

animals, believed to be auspicious and a good omen, while some even

smeared it on their forehead, an official said on condition of

anonymity.

 

Last year, animal rights activists had launched protests when

hundreds of goats were sacrificed at the same temple in the presence

of Revenue Minister Manmohan Samal. The activists had also burnt an

effigy of the minister.

 

A week ago, the district administration made an attempt to stop the

practice. Top district and police officials had held a meeting with

temple committee members and villagers.

 

It was decided that only one animal would be sacrificed, but the

devotees flouted the agreement, the official said.

 

According to him, a 15-year-old girl of the village rushed to the

temple with a group of villagers and claimed she was the

personification of the deity. She threatened to kill anyone who

stopped the sacrifice. The frightened devotees continued the

practice, he said.

 

" We are helpless, " district collector N.K. Burma said. " It can only

be stopped when the people want and for that we are creating

awareness. "

 

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Indo-Asian News

Service.