Villagers worship rare turtle in Orissa
Religious weirdness
by behemot 3 Replies latest jw friends
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behemot
BHUBANESWAR: 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 on 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. -
Anator
Indian Woman Marries Snake Article taken from http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2006/June/subcontinent_June56.xml§ion=subcontinent
Look, I love animals. I mean, I really love animals. I grew up with a dog, I have cats, and I walk some of the dogs in my neighborhood to break up my writing day. But I draw a line at this: Indian woman marries cobra.
Now, all phallic jokes aside, let’s take a look at this. This woman was sick. She started feeding the snake and got cured. Perhaps this was psychological, or coincidental, or perhaps it was indeed a religious sign. But basic questions are being ignored here.
For one, how did the snake propose? I’m assuming this Bimbala Das is a nice Indian girl who didn’t spring the question on it/him? Also:
Priests chanted mantras to seal the union, but the snake failed to come out of a nearby ant hill where it lives,
Then how do you know it said yes? What if it has a little cobra wife and babies already? You mean the incredible racket of an Indian wedding isn’t conducive to luring snakes into matrimony?
Second, what are the snake’s rights? Does he know own her property? Did he provide some kind of dowry? And, perhaps most important from the cobra’s point of view—does the snake have any conjugal rights? I mean, I’m just asking here, it’s a logical question.
“I am happy,” said her mother Dyuti Bhoi, who has two other daughters and two sons to marry off.
Eeeeeeeenteresting. Perhaps a trip to the zoo is in order? I’ve heard penguins mate for life….
a traditional Hindu wedding celebrated by 2,000 guests in India’s Orissa state
This is the most shocking of all. A cobra can get 2000 guests to come to its wedding in the heat of India in June and I can’t get half my guests to come up past 14th street on a weekday.
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Kinjiro
If you really take a close, honest, unbiased look at any religion, you will find 'weirdness' as you call it...
From Kronos tearing limb to limb his children and then eating them to the god of the bible giving a son to a childless old man just to ask him to later on sacrifice him...
From Zeus turning into a 'golden shower' (eh?) and impregnating women to Mary the virgin...
It is all weird... after all it is religion isn't it supposed to be weird?