2 held for rooster sacrifice at Kodungalloor temple

Thrissur

Violating the ban on animal/bird sacrifice, rooster sacrifice was conducted at Sree Kurumba Bhagavathy Temple, Kodungalloor, on Saturday.

Two youths, Adithyanadh Surendran and Sunil Thandassery, on Saturday morning conducted the illegal ritual at the ‘Kozhikkallu’ at the North Nada of the temple. The police took them into custody.

The Kerala Animals and Bird Sacrifices Prohibition Act of 1968 prohibits sacrifice of animals and birds in temples to please the deity.

In olden days, the temple had the ritual of sacrificing rooters. After the ban on animal/bird sacrifice, the ritual was being held symbolically by covering the ‘balikkallu’ with red cloth.

There were attempts to sacrifice rooters earlier too. Two youths sacrificed two roosters at the balikkallu in 2020. Though they managed to escape after the sacrifice, they were arrested later.

An organisation, Viswa Vamachara Dharmaraksha Sangam, too had called for restarting the ritual in 2020.

Meanwhile, the kozhikkallu moodal ritual (covering the balikkallu with red cloth) in connection with the Bharani festival of the temple was held on Saturday.