KERALA, INDIA, October 11, 2022 (Indian Express): In a rare gesture, a Kerala temple on Monday accorded “bhu samadhi” to a crocodile, named Babiya, that died in the shrine’s pond on Sunday night and a post-mortem cited the death due to old age. Since that crocodile has long been part of the lore of Sree Ananthapadmanabha Swamy Temple at Kumbla in Kasaragod district, Babiya was given a ceremonial burial with all prayers envisaged for the last rites of a Hindu sanyasi. “The body was lowered to the pit near the temple. In future, devotees can come and pray at the samadhi,’’ said temple trust board chairman Udaya Kumar.
Earlier, Babiya had hit the headlines after devotees claimed that it was a vegetarian crocodile and eventually attained a divine status after it was seen consuming the offerings at the temple (rice and jaggery). The crocodile was never known to have turned violent or attack a devotee. It lived in the temple pond along with the fish. Two years back, it was spotted on the steps of the temple’s sanctum sanctorum. There are no records at the temple to show how this crocodile reached the temple pond. There is no river or other water body in the vicinity. Temple lore says a British soldier had shot a crocodile at the shrine in 1945 and within a few days another one appeared. Hence, Babiya was believed to be in its’ 70s. Another version about the presence of the crocodile is that the centuries-old temple, which is situated in a pond, had a huge stock of valuables. To dissuade thieves or enemies from plundering the wealth, the temple authorities had reared a crocodile in the pond.
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/thiruvananthapuram/gods-own-crocodile-kerala-temple-accords-bhu-samadhi-to-babiya-8201361/