In a time when land conflicts are frequent among humans, monkeys in a Maharashtra village in Osmanabad district have received the honour of having 32 acres of property registered in their name. The occupants of the simian village of Upla in Osmanabad are treated with respect by the locals, who frequently honour them at weddings and feed them whenever they show up at their doorstep.
Monkeys ‘own’ 32 acres
Land documents discovered by the Upla gramme panchayat make it very obvious that 32 acres of land are owned by all monkeys living in the village. The village’s sarpanch (head), Bappa Padwal, told PTI that although the paperwork clearly show that the property belongs to monkeys, it is unknown who made this provision for the animals or when it was made.
The town is currently home to about 100 monkeys, but Padwal explained that because the creatures do not stay in one spot for very long, their numbers have decreased over time. According to him, the forest service had planted trees on the property, and there had also been an abandoned home there that had since fallen.
Rituals honouring monkeys
He said that in the past, monkeys were used in every rite performed in the village. ‘Before, whenever a wedding took place in the community, monkeys would first be given a gift before the ceremony started. Not everyone now adheres to this method,’ the sarpanch stated. ‘Every time the monkeys show up at their door, the villagers also feed them. No one withholds food from them’, he continued.
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