Babiya

India is a land of impossibilities and rare occurrences. It is not uncommon to witness or hear of weird, bizarre and mystical events and practices in this ancient subcontinent. Yet, we had our minds blow off when we found out about this one from the region of beautiful backwaters, Kerala! Yes, because can you imagine world’s most ferocious, meat-eating creature survive on a vegan diet? Also, it guards a temple! We cannot; thus we are still mind-blown.

To think of, it is hard for a meat-eating man to adopt a veggie diet, let alone a fiercely hardcore carnivorous animal to embrace vegan food. But, Babiya, the lake-dwelling guardian crocodile of a holy place in Kerala, is the proverbial lotus that grows in murky waters!

To begin with, Babiya is the guardian of the Ananthapura Lake Temple that stands in the namesake village in the Kasaragod District of Kerala. According to the local legend, Babiya feeds only on the temple prasad which is offered every day after the noon worship of the deity. The vegetarian prasad comprises of cooked rice and jaggery, and is fed to the friendly croc by the devotees fearlessly, by their hands.

A wonderful story associated with Lord Krishna and one of his ardent devotees throws light on the purpose of Babiya’s existence. As per it, when Sri Vilvamangalathu Swami was engaged in deep meditation to win the favour of his tutelary deity, Sri Vishnu, Lord Krishna appeared as a young boy and started playing pranks to test his devotee. Ruffled by the mischief of the little one, Vilvamangalathu Swami brushed him aside. By the time that sage realised his error, the boy-Krishna had vanished into the cave close-by. The crevice into which Krishna had disappeared is located somewhere inside the temple. And, the crocodile Babiya is the guardian appointed to safeguard the mysterious entrance.

Another legend has it that about 70 years ago, a British soldier killed the crocodile on guard at the Ananthapura Lake Temple. Surprisingly, the soldier died of snakebite sometime later, which, the locals believe, was due to the ire of the serpent deity Anantha for his heinous crime. Soon after, another crocodile appeared in the lake to replace the former guardian, and each time one dies, another one appears in its place!

Such is the legend of the temple at Lake Ananthapura and its wonderful patrolling reptilian attendants. Be sure about good luck coming your way if you chance upon Babiya swimming in the lake waters. So, the next time you plan a trip to Kerala, there is one mystery that might just give you an Agatha Christie like feel.