Crocodile living in Kasaragod temple passes away

Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple crocodile 'Babiya' passed away on Sunday night.

Babiya's age was estimated to be around 75 years, according to sources in the ninth-century temple in Kumble in the Kasaragod district of Kerala.

The six-foot long 'Babiya' was worshipped as the guardian of Ananthapura Lake Temple. In October 2020, a video clipping of the brief appearance of Babiya, in the early hours, at the Muzrai Temple, located about 45 km away from Mangaluru, had became a social media sensation.

According to the legend, the first crocodile before 'Babiya' was shot by a British soldier during the Second World War. The British soldier died on the same day from a snake bite.

The offerings ('naivedhya') to God, comprising cooked rice and jaggery, was fed twice a day to the friendly crocodile.

Experts have identified the reptile as a freshwater Muggar crocodile -- a fast-depleting species.