Star pig now beast of burden

The miracle, as the villagers put it, occurred in 2008. One Sunday morning, the pig was seen trying to gain entry into the local Balaji temple and was shooed away by the people around. But the undeterred pig made entry into the temple and began to do rounds (parikrama, pradakshina) around the ‘dhwaja sthambha’.

For the dismay of the villagers the white and brown spotted piglet did a 12-hour marathon rounds and went away. What followed astounded the whole village.

Next morning it came back after a bath in the Godavari river! Then the pig, with water still dripping, went into the temple and resumed its rounds. But this time it collapsed due to fatigue.

 Concerned, the villagers nursed the pig. The doctor diagnosed the pig to be suffering with Encephelomeningitis - an inflammation in the brain and meninges. He pronounced the pig would die in two days.  But it not only survived the ordeal, but also became cynosure of the villagers. They built a temporary shelter for the pig in the temple land.

With media doing its part, a large number of devotees announced donations to build a temple and arrange a fund for the maintenance of the pig. The handlers started feeding the pig with bajjis, vegetables such as tomatoes and carrots, rice and whole lot of prasadam. Now the pig grew into a obese sow.

While the villagers are on a look out for suitable boar for the bride, the real problem staring at  the face of the handlers is feeding the gluttonous appetite of the sow. Those people who promised us hefty donations and food are no where to be seen.

The pig is used to good food and we cannot feed rotten food to the varaha as it is
incarnation of the god,” said Seethamma, a devotee.  The the young sow, which stopped making rounds around the ‘Dhwaja Sthambha’,  suddenly turned into a white elephant for the villagers.