COURT ORDER DEFY; GARHI MAI MELA WITNESS THOUSANDS OF SACRIFICE

SAGAR SURAJ

MOTIHARI:  Even if top courts of India and Nepal came up with their decisions to check mass killing of animals and birds in Garhi Mai festival being organized every five years in Bariyarpur village in Nepal, lacks of pilgrims sacrificed thousands of buffaloes , goats, rat chicken, pigs and pigeon on Thursday.

The festival, which is dubbed as ‘the world’s bloodiest’ with cold blooded killing of animals and birds is being celebrated in Nepali territories along Indo-Nepal border in ward 1 and ward 2 of Maha Garhimai Nagarpalika locality.

The triumph of belief over court and humanities were evident in the morning of Thursday, when thousands of buffaloes were killed at the altar of goddess and within three hours the fair premises left in to pool of blood and carcasses of different animals and birds.

 Raju Thapa , one of the executor told they killed Buffaloes not less than six thousands on Thursday. Numbers of goats and others birds are uncountable. Even baffaloes sacrificed in near by villages are not countable as they are unregistered by fair committee. It is general believe that animal san be sacrificed in any village under nagar palika area of the fair.

Though the officials of Mahagarhi Mai Nagaralika committee did not came up to comment on the actual numbers of registered buffaloes sacrificed this years, they said in 2014 some 2,00,000 animals were killed at the name of goddess appeasement.

A senior doctor of medical camps organized in Mela premises Dr Ajay Kumar Singh told that more than 60 to 70 lakhs fair revelers have visited this fair by Saptami-the day of sacrifice and thousands of injured were treated in this camps. In the most cases, the pilgrims sustained injuries with fence wire on boundary of sacrifice premises. People sustain injuries in rampage as well. He said it is due to strong preparations of committee that not a single human death was reported so far as against 11 death in 2014. “ People dies here owing to cold and rampage in this heavily crowded fair’, said Ajay.

Rajkumar Singh and Vijay Singh of ward 5 in Bariyarpur told it is belief that Garhi mai fulfills all the wishes if animal sacrificed before her and such traditions cant’s be stopped with the intervention of court and administration. Nepal remained to be Hindu rastra despite it was transformed democratic.

Animals charities too have been awakening people against killing of helpless animals beings following any superstition or traditions. The tradition dates back to a priest who was told about 250 years ago in a dream that spilled blood would encourage Gadhimai, the Hindu goddess of power, to free him from prison.

For the hundreds of thousands of devotees who travel to the temple from India and Nepal, it is an opportunity to have their wishes fulfilled.

” I sacrificed two pigeons as my dreams were fulfilled’, said a scholarly lady, wife of vijay singh in Kawahi madhuri village.

But Ram Chandra Shah, the temple’s trust chairman, told that Animal welfare network Nepal have banned animal killing on the name of religion but 100 of years old tradition of sacrifice are still continue. Devotes have been requested many times to stop killing animals but were unable to force them.

But the animals continued to arrive at the temple in Bariyarpur, about 150km (93 miles) south of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu and far off regions of India, and on Tuesday morning a sprawling field and around 400 butchers have been prepared to begin their work.

The expense of the festival – including free meals and tents – was being covered by donations, said mayor of Mahagarhi Mai Nagarpalika Upendra Prasad Yadav.

Official in bordering district of india had earlier proclaimed that they would strictly follow the ban. They however arrested many devotees with animals to be sacrificed in the fair.