Kasaragod Temple Welcomes Successor to Vegetarian Crocodile Babia, One Year After Her Passing.

Last year, the demise of Babia, the vegetarian crocodile sustained on temple prasadam, reverberated nationwide. Devotees eagerly awaited Babia’s successor, a phenomenon recurring in the temple. On November 8, a new crocodile emerged in a cave by the lake, witnessed by devotees, as confirmed by a temple official. The temple acknowledges the unexplained cycle of one crocodile’s demise followed by the appearance of another, with the latest being the fourth. Prompted by devotee reports, temple officials verified the presence of a young crocodile, seeking guidance from the head priest.
Babia, the third crocodile, passed away on October 9, 2022, at over 70 years old, drawing crowds for a final farewell. The Mahavishnu temple in Ananthapura, near Kumbla, Kasaragod, serves as the ‘moolasthanam’ of the Sri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Traditionally, the lake hosts a single crocodile, marking the third witnessed by the elderly. The temple describes the crocodile as friendly, drawing parallels with the Gajendra Moksha stories in the Bhagavatha Puranam. The temple’s website highlights the absence of nearby crocodile habitats, emphasizing the unique presence in the Mahavishnu temple’s lake.