FaithWorld
Religion, faith and ethics
Nepal Hindu temple conducts biggest animal sacrifice on earth
At least 15,000 buffalo and “countless” goats and birds were sacrificed in a temple in southern Nepal on Wednesday in a ritual billed as the single biggest animal slaughter on earth.
Hindus in Nepal routinely offer animals for sacrifice to appease deities, especially power goddesses, for good luck and prosperity. But the festival held every five years at the Gadhimai temple in southern Nepal was condemned this year by animal rights activists, including French actress Brigitte Bardot, who called for an end to the centuries-old ritual of slaughtering animals.
“We had more than 15,000 buffalo sacrificed Tuesday. But the number of goats and birds, including roosters and pigeons, sacrificed Wednesday is countless,” Shiva Chandra Prasad Kushawaha, chief of the festival’s organizing committee said.
(Photo: Mass sacrifice of buffaloes at Bara District, 24 Nov 2009/Shruti Shrestha)
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Many developed countries kill more animals each year, judging from the red meat and poultry available for sale in the supermarket.The only difference is that killing is done hidden from public sight.The animal sacrifice occurs once a year by devotees who probably do not have the financial means to eat meat every day.
this is SICK, SICK, SICK!!!!stop the barbaric killing of animals here in Nepal and in ALL the factory farms world wide. NO GOD or diety anywhere advocates this violence, suffering and torture and blood bath this barbaric ritual created.These ppl need to WAKE UP to the 21st century and stop this back ally cockamamie behavior.SICK!!
john649… mind your own business… whatever these people do, they do not go out and kill/ sacrifice innocent babies, women, children, old persons, etc in name of Jesus, like Christians habitually do across the world till date. But to a sinful and liar like you, even stories of genocide will be justifiable in name of Jesus. Do you know statistics of how many animals, what type of animals are slaughtered by Christians and Muslims and eaten away in daily prayers. Do you know the daily prayer of destruction that you pray in church for non christians? And yes, no one from Nepal invited Christians and reuters to publish anything in their country
There are two extremists. One sode you have vegan, otherside you have animal sacrificers and meat eaters.Well, I am a vegetarian, and strongly oppose ritual animal killings, or for food. I consume egg, bcz it has no life in it. i drink milk bcz it won’t take a life. I eat vegetables, since plants don’t feel pain as they don’t have central nervous systems. So follow the middle path.I am a Hindu, vegetarian and feel sorry for the vegetarian converts also. We have great veggie food developed over centuries, where as western vegans have difficult time in adjusting. I appreciate them for their commitment though.
It is beyond belief that anyone would condone this massacre. These are innocent creatures being butchered – no “humane” stunners here, just some maniac swinging an axe. The excuse for this butchery is that some bloodthirsty “goddess” needs blood. Maybe someone could leave a message out for the creature next time to slice off her own head. That sureely should stop her disgusting bloodlust once and fcor all. I’ll be boycotting anything from Nepal from now on and will be advising others to do so.