KASARAGOD: One year after the death of mystic vegetarian crocodile Babiya, another crocodile appeared for the first time in Ananthapura Lake Temple in Kasaragod. With confirmation from temple priest Subrahmanya Bhatt and officials, there is currently a mad rush from devotees to catch a glimpse of the new crocodile.

Babiya, the crocodile who stood as the guardian of the god in the temple, passed away on October 9, 2022. The new crocodile was first spotted by a native of Kanhangad. Later, Seva Samiti President Ananthapuram Sunil told 'Kerala Kaumudi' that the people in the temple also have seen the crocodile in the pond. The authorities confirmed that the crocodile was in the pond on Saturday evening.

Babiya used to live in the shed inside the pond. After the puja, when the bell rang, the giant reptile would crawl to take the temple prasadam (offering). It was Babiya who stood guard in front of the shrine at night. Babiya was cremated with temple rituals.

When the chief priest left the temple at night, Babiya would come inside the temple premises and guard the shrine. At dawn, hearing the sounds of the temple gates getting open, Babiya would calmly return to the pond. The priest used to recite Purusha Sukta and Vishnu Sukta chants to the crocodile.