Siliguri, Oct. 18: The priests of leading Kali temples in town have decided to permanently do away with animal-sacrifice as part of their worship of the goddess.
The priests also want to campaign against the practice in the other temples that still behead goats and other animals, especially during Kali Puja. The Siliguri-based Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation will coordinate the drive.
“We will first identify the Kali temples and then try to restrain the worshippers there from killing animals,” said Animesh Bose, the founder-coordinator of the NGO.
The precedent was set a couple of years ago when the authorities of the Maa Bhawani Kali Mandir on Bidhan Road and Anandamoyee Kalibari on Thana Road stopped the practice. Before that, during Kali Puja, around 400 goats used to be sacrificed at these two temples alone. Across Siliguri, the figure runs to thousands.
“We realised that Ma does not require blood, but proper devotion,” said vice-president of Maa Bhawani Kali Mandir, Harihar Paul, adding that sacrifice of animals was practised at the temple for the last three decades. “Most worshippers welcomed the move.”
Haripada Debnath, the chief priest of Siddheswari Kalibari on Iskon Road termed animal sacrifice a “brutal” act. “Every living being is Ma’s child, so she cannot be happy to see animals being sacrificed,” he said.
Anandamoyee Bhairabi, a priest of Anandamoyee Dham of Hyderpara, even suggested that he government should frame a law to make the practice illegal. “I think authorities of all the Kalibaris opposed to animal sacrifice should come together and raise a demand for the practice to be abolished completely,” he said.
Ratan Tapaswi, a priest of Mayer Ichcha Kalibari, said: “The need of the hour is to stop animal sacrifice at Bolla Kalibari at Balurghat, where every year during Kali Puja thousands of goats are killed.”
Goat-sellers, out to make a killing during Kali Puja, are not happy. “The decision by the priests have posed a serious threat to our business” said Ramesh Das, a goat seller in Bidhan Market.
