Villagers worship rare turtle in Orissa
November 7th, 2009 - 4:32 pm ICT by IANS ( Leave a comment )Bhubaneswar, Nov 7 (IANS) Hundreds of villagers in Orissa’s Kendrapada district have been worshipping a rare turtle since Thursday as it has eyes similar to that of a Hindu deity, a forest official said Saturday.
The turtle was brought Thursday to Khadipala village, about 150 km from here, by Ramesh Patra from a nearby river. It has been kept in a village temple in a water container.
The residents lined up Friday and Saturday to have a glimpse of the turtle in the belief that it will bring good fortune.
“The villagers are worshipping the turtle because it has marks on its carapace which look similar to the eyes of lord Jagannath - the state’s presiding deity,” Patra said.
It is an Indian soft shell turtle - one of the most critically endangered species of fresh water turtles in the country - said a state forest department official.
In Hindu mythology, sea turtles are described as an incarnation of god.
“The turtle would be shifted to the Nandankanan zoo soon and would be conserved,” the forest official said.
The coastal district of Kendrapada is home to one of the world’s largest rookeries of sea turtles.
- Orissa villagers refuse to release rare turtle - Nov 10, 2009
- Case against Orissa villagers for confining turtle - Nov 13, 2009
- Orissa villages worship turtle resembling Lord Jagannath - Nov 10, 2009
- 25 endangered turtles seized in Odisha, one held - Dec 16, 2011
- Orissa sets up camps to protect nesting turtles - Oct 28, 2010
- 10 held for fishing near turtle nesting site - Jan 08, 2011
- Orissa bans fishing near turtle nesting sites - Nov 01, 2011
- Birds sighted at Orissa sanctuary drop to only 45,610 - Dec 27, 2010
- 1,654 crocodiles in Orissa park - Jan 16, 2011
- Olive Ridleys may delay mass nesting at Odisha beach - Feb 03, 2012
- 15 held for fishing near famous turtle nesting site - Jan 25, 2010
- To pull tourists, Himachal books its legends (IANS Books)(With Image) - Aug 24, 2011
- Noted sand sculptor creates replica of Jagannath chariot festival in Puri - Jul 13, 2010
- As rare Olive Ridleys mate, Orissa mounts vigil - Dec 21, 2010
- Fresh floods hit 900 Orissa villages - Sep 23, 2011
Tags: bhubaneswar, carapace, coastal district, fresh water turtles, good fortune, hindu deity, hindu mythology, incarnation, lord jagannath, nandankanan zoo, nearby river, orissa, patra, rare turtle, rookeries, sea turtles, soft shell turtle, state forest department, turtles, water container
