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[Darren Ellis <dellis AT pcauthority.com.au>]

Title: Message

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/09/02/1030508180296.html

 

Mortality check for monkey 'god'

September 2 2002

Hyderabad, India: Thousands of people attended the funeral of a monkey revered as a divine incarnation of Hanuman - the Hindu monkey god - in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

But animal rights activists said the animal, which collapsed on Saturday, died of starvation and exhaustion after it was trapped inside a temple for a month by over-zealous worshippers.

According to local police officials, 3,000 to 4,000 people were present when the monkey was cremated according to Hindu custom, during a ceremony organised by the temple committee.

The animal had strayed into a temple dedicated to Hanuman in Timmaganipalli village, some 400 kilometres south of the Andhra Pradesh capital Hyderabad.

When the villagers discovered the monkey sitting on the idol of Hanuman they thought it was a reincarnation of the god and refused to let it out of the temple

Hundreds of pilgrims poured in to seek blessings, often garlanding the monkey with flowers, besides making offerings of money and coconuts.

"We tried to regulate the traffic of pilgrims to ensure proper rest to the monkey but it had created quite a sensation that at least 300 to 400 people would come everyday to see it," N Kalidas, deputy superintendent of police told AFP.

Even when the monkey stopped eating, animal rights groups were not allowed to take it away.

"The monkey was quite old and both its hind legs were paralysed," Narendra Reddy secretary of animal rights group Karuna told AFP.

"It clearly needed help and we wanted to have it shifted to a veterinary hospital but the villagers just refused to co-operate with us," he said.

A team of vets examined the monkey after the courts intervened last week.

Karuna had petitioned the Andhra Pradesh high court to rescue the monkey, which they claimed was being exploited by the priests of the temple to make money.

The court passed a directive on Wednesday ordering the local police and administration to ensure the monkey was not harassed by pilgrims and given proper medical attention, but it died a few days later.

AFP

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