Babiya the guardian crocodile of Ananthapura Lake temple, Kasargod
We went to Kasargod two years ago on a vacation, and saw the beautiful Ananthapadmanabhaswamy temple en route to Bekal Fort. It was in the monsoons, and Kerala was like a green shining jewel in the rains. The temple is built in the middle of a lake, a small bridge connecting it. There is a cave through which, according to legend, lord Anantha Padmanabha made a way towards Thiruvananthapuram. From the temple, we looked at the fishes in the clear green water under us. While the temple and its precincts and the scenery around it are lovely, the most interesting thing about it is a crocodile named Babiya , claimed to be a vegetarian crocodile who guards the temple and apparently loves the Rice and Jaggery Naivedyam that they feed her twice a day. The priest was very excited to talk about Babiya . He claims it is a divine crocodile who guards the cave and the temple . According to him, every time a crocodile dies, another one appears to take its place. He also claims that...
