Maneka Gandhi Intervenes in Animal Sacrifice Rites

Jahnava Nitai Das · November 29, 2002

PATRAPADA, INDIA, November 7, 2002: Every year on the Maha Bishuva Sankranti day more than 1,000 goats and sheep are sacrificed at the Bayani Thakurani (Goddess Kali) Temple in Patrapada village, Angul district, Orissa. This year Maneka Gandhi stepped in to save the animals and additionally to stop the age-old tradition of large-scale animal sacrifice. A week before the Sankranti day, district collector L.N. Gupta received a letter from Gandhi asking him to take steps to stop the mass sacrifice. A contingent of police, led by S. P. Arun Bothra, went to Patrapada to convince the people to do away with the practice. Temple priests and devotees initially refused to make any changes as they feared breaking from this tradition would bring misfortune. After a four-hour discussion the priests were persuaded and requested the administration to allow symbolic sacrifice of one animal instead of more than a thousand goats. HPI adds: The report indicates nothing about the fate of the animals after the police intervention. Most likely the goats still ended up as dinner, as the protest was against the ritual sacrifice of the animals and not their killing per se.

December 4, 2002

Such is the way of Kali Yuga--illusions within illusions

Defeat an illusion with another illusion and illusion subtly gets around illusion so that illusion perpetuates and then gets awarded for being a champion of the people.

Is Maneka a vegetarian, or an animal rights campaigner?

It's a dificult call, the Balinese in general are the same. Is it better to let them sacrifice to Kali which is suppose to be acceptable, and if done with some inclination of the right motive it is suppose to help the habit abate. Or is it just barbaric? Unlike the clinical west where it is all so unseen.

theist · December 4, 2002

a vegetarian and an animal rights campaigner. Animal sacrifice is barbaric IMO. Religious rites or not. Sounds like these folks were really out of hand. She seems to have brought a certain level of sanity to the situation. At least improving it considerably.