<p>Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple crocodile 'Babiya' passed away on Sunday night.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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. </p>.<p>The offerings ('naivedhya') to God, comprising cooked rice and jaggery, was fed twice a day to the friendly crocodile. </p>.<p>Experts have identified the reptile as a freshwater Muggar crocodile -- a fast-depleting species.</p>
<p>Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple crocodile 'Babiya' passed away on Sunday night.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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.</p>.<p>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. </p>.<p>The offerings ('naivedhya') to God, comprising cooked rice and jaggery, was fed twice a day to the friendly crocodile. </p>.<p>Experts have identified the reptile as a freshwater Muggar crocodile -- a fast-depleting species.</p>
