WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
More than 250,000 animals are being lined up for slaughter
as Nepal embarks on a two-day religious festival where buffalo, birds and goats
are sacrificed to appease a Hindu goddess.Millions of Hindus flock to the ceremony, which is held
every five years at the temple of Gadhimai, the goddess of power, in
Bariyarpur, Nepal, near the Indian border. The festival is 'kicked off' with
the ritual slaughter of five thousand buffalo in a field near the temple, after
which two days of ritual animal slaughter takes place.
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Blessing of the weapons: Butchers raise their swords while performing rituals on Thursday night, before the sacrificial ceremony today |
Animal rights activists such as PETA are campaigning to halt
the mass animal-slaughter, but despite their efforts, the organisers of the
festival has promised that this year will be the biggest yet. About 2.5 million devotees have turned out for the
festival, according to local government official Yogendra Prasad Dulal, who
said it was 'impossible to estimate' the total number of animals sacrificed so
far. 'It has been a grand day,' Mangal Chaudhary, head priest at a the Gadhimai
temple said. 'The buffalo sacrifice has ended, but we will continue the rituals
with goats and other animals for one more day,'
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| Meat all around: The last time the festival was held, in 2009, more than 250,000 animals were killed, according to PETA |
On the first day, worshippers slaughtered more than 6,000
buffaloes, which were coralled into holding pens in the fields, along with at
least 100,000 goats and other animals, Chaudhary said.The festivities will continue on Saturday when at least
another 100,000 animals will die in the name of goddess Gadhimai. More
than 80 per cent of Nepal's 27 million people are Hindus, but unlike most of
their counterparts in neighbouring India, they frequently sacrifice animals to
appease deities during festivals.
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| More than two million Hindu devotees are set to take part in the festival, which is held at the temple every five years |
Authorities deployed hundreds of police personnel to make
sure there were no clashes between activists and the devotees.'It is a ritual connected with people's faith,' said
Yogendra Dulal, an assistant administrator of the Bara district, where the
temple is located. 'We can't hurt their sentiments and ban the
practice.' Worshippers believe the animal sacrifice, meant to appease
Gadhimai, the Hindu goddess of power, brings them luck and prosperity.The ritual began at dawn with a ceremonial 'pancha bali' or
the sacrifice of five animals, comprising a rat, a goat, a rooster, a pig and a
pigeon.
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| Cleanse:
Hindu devotees take bath to purify themselves in the pond of Gadhimai Temple to
please goddess Gadhimai |
Although cows are considered sacred by Hindu's, the
thousands of animals seen slaughtered in these pictures are buffalo. About
6,000 buffaloes were held in an open-air pen prior to being beheaded by
butchers using swords and large curved knives. Thousands of goats and chickens
will also be sacrificed before the festival ends on Saturday, temple officials
said. The heads of the sacrificed animals will be buried in a huge
pit while the animal hides and skin will be sold to traders who have contracted
to buy them.'It is not proper to kill animals in the name of religion,'
Uttam Kafle, of rights group Animal Nepal, told Reuters by telephone from the
site.'We are trying to convince the people that they can worship
at the shrine peacefully and without being cruel to animals.'India's Supreme Court recently asked the government to stop
the illegal movement of animals into Nepal for the ceremony.
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