Barbarism in the name of religion?

Known_Unknown

Devil's Advocate
Senior Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2009
Messages
2,626
Likes
1,670
Festival of mass animal sacrifice begins in Nepal

By GEMUNU AMARASINGHE (AP) – 10 hours ago

The Associated Press: Festival of mass animal sacrifice begins in Nepal

BARIYAPUR, Nepal — The ceremony began with prayers in a temple by tens of thousands of Hindus before dawn Tuesday. Then it shifted to a nearby corral, where in the cold morning mist, scores of butchers wielding curved swords began slaughtering buffalo calves by hacking off their heads.

Over two days, 200,000 buffaloes, goats, chickens and pigeons will be killed as part of a blood-soaked festival held every five years to honor Gadhimai, a Hindu goddess of power.

While cows are sacred and protected by law in Nepal, animal sacrifice has a long history in this overwhelmingly Hindu country and parts of neighboring India. The Bariyapur festival has become so big, in part, because such ceremonies have been banned in many areas in the neighboring Indian state of Bihar.


And while it is criticized by animal-rights protesters, the festival is defended as a centuries-old tradition.

Many Nepalis believe that sacrifices in Gadhimai's honor will bring them prosperity. They also believe that by eating the meat, which is taken back to their villages and consumed during feasts, they will be protected from evil.

Taranath Gautam, the top government official in the area, estimated that more than 200,000 people had come for the ceremony in Bariyapur, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Katmandu. Some brought their own animals to sacrifice.

"I am here with my mother who had promised the goddess she would sacrifice a goat. It was her wish and promise and I am glad we were able to fulfill it," said Pramod Das, a farmer from the nearby village of Sarlahi. "I believe now my mother's wishes will come true."

Animal rights groups don't have much power in Nepal, but they have staged repeated protests in recent weeks. Local news reports say some activists set up stands in towns on the way to the Bariyapur temple, offering Hindu pilgrims coconuts and other fruits to sacrifice instead of animals.

There was no sign of them Tuesday.

"We were unable to stop the animal sacrifices this year but we will continue our campaign to stop killings during this festival," said Pramada Shah of the group Animals Nepal.

The ceremony, which goes back for generations, has enormous resonance in a country where per capital income is about $25 a month, illiteracy is widespread and vast social divides have left millions working as tenant farmers for feudal landlords.

Even many educated Nepalis see value in the tradition.

Om Prasad, a banker from the nearby city of Birgunj, brought offerings of fruit and flowers to the festival, but said he believed people should be able to sacrifice animals if they want.

"It is their tradition and it is fine if they continue to follow it. No one should try to tell them they can't follow what their ancestors did," he said.

Experts say it will take many more years before there are changes in these deeply rooted traditions.

"They continue these animal sacrifice rituals because they believe it is a tradition that can't be broken," said Ram Bahadur Chetri, an anthropology professor at Katmandu's Tribhuwan University. "The people who follow these traditions believe that if they discontinue, then the gods will get angry and there could be catastrophe in the country."

Buffaloes, goats, chicken and ducks are sacrificed at most Hindu homes in Nepal during the Dasain festivals, which fell in September this year.
I'm astonished that this kind of barbarism prevails in Nepal in the 21st century. Not only have illiteracy, religion and superstition played a big part in the "celebration" of this annual ritual massacre, but the government, even the current Maoist one, seems toothless to do anything about it. This is what happens when countries have a state religion-whether Hinduism or Islam or anything else, 2000-3000 year old barbaric cultural practices simply have no place in modern society.

We ought to be eternally grateful to our founding fathers for establishing a secular, democratic, and progressive Republic of India, and banning such disgusting and heinous customs.
 

Known_Unknown

Devil's Advocate
Senior Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2009
Messages
2,626
Likes
1,670
Some pictures:


Butchers with butcher knives participate in religious rituals before slaughtering buffalos during a mass sacrifice ceremony at Gadhimai temple in Bariyapur, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Katmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009. Hundreds of thousands of Hindus gathered at a temple in southern Nepal on Tuesday for a ceremony involving the slaughter of more than 200,000 animals, a festival that has drawn the ire of animal-welfare protesters.


A butcher prepares to slaughter a buffalo with his knife during a mass sacrifice ceremony at Gadhimai temple in Bariyapur, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Katmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009.


A butcher chases an injured buffalo which survived his first attack during a mass sacrifice ceremony at Gadhimai temple in Bariyapur, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Katmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009.
 

ppgj

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
2,029
Likes
168
how barbaric? dastardly and cowardly act on innocent and mild mannered animals, which give give us so much back?
pity the animals.
 

Emperor

Regular Member
Joined
May 19, 2009
Messages
99
Likes
1
I'm astonished that this kind of barbarism prevails in Nepal in the 21st century. Not only have illiteracy, religion and superstition played a big part in the "celebration" of this annual ritual massacre, but the government, even the current Maoist one, seems toothless to do anything about it. This is what happens when countries have a state religion-whether Hinduism or Islam or anything else, 2000-3000 year old barbaric cultural practices simply have no place in modern society.

We ought to be eternally grateful to our founding fathers for establishing a secular, democratic, and progressive Republic of India, and banning such disgusting and heinous customs.
No need.

This kind of rituals are being performed all over India ,mostly in the rural india where beliefs are of high intensity.
Dont have to go far.Even people in my city does that back home.
And not all GODs takes the sacrifice.Only few.
I for one ,somehow cant take a firm decision on this matter since my opinion is divided.
and for that bolded part,
which founding fathers are you talking about?I myself have one father. :d and I dont care what others call a gandhi.
And no one has the right to ban any custom.

everyday in a hi-fi restaurant 1000`s of goats,rabbits,hens,goose,turkeys,fish,dolphins,whales,lambs,prawns,turtles,squids, were being killed mercilessly just for the sake of filled a 4 inch customers stomach.And add dogs and cats to that list if you consider china.
And muslims call the meet halal if the name of god is spelt while killing(according to islamic laws).christians (according to christianity),...

Why people were always after hindus?
they are only doing the same thing openly in public while others(muslims/christinas,...) are doing it behind the walls.

Am not a pessimist,but for people who are against such customs: Do you eat veg or non-veg? If you eat non-veg, they go and put your face in the shit tank.

Lol... for who are taking gandhi as a role model: Gandhi is a brahmin.and his caste wont let him eat non-veg or drink. :twizt:
 

S.A.T.A

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
2,569
Likes
1,560
for who are taking gandhi as a role model: Gandhi is a brahmin.and his caste wont let him eat non-veg or drink
What exactly is your gripe against Gandhi,you couldn't be old enough that Gandhi owed you money and failed to return.You need to chill mate.
 
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
29,799
Likes
48,280
Country flag
Phani Gandhi was not a Brahmin he was a Gujurati Banya -merchant caste.
 

Singh

Phat Cat
Super Mod
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
20,311
Likes
8,403
Country flag
To be honest doesn't offend me.
You can't rewire someone's belief systems.
 
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
29,799
Likes
48,280
Country flag


This festival was only for the cast of Thapa. For this ceremony, they use to scarify up to 475 during this event they sip goat’s blood as a blessing.




I have never seen this side of hinduism that they practice in Nepal, this is truly shocking and barbaric.
 

Yusuf

GUARDIAN
Super Mod
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
24,324
Likes
11,757
Country flag
as I am a non veg I have nothing against animal sacrifice. Its in our religion since Abraham. But then our sacrifices are probably done in a more humane manner if I can put it that way. But the pictures shown above are horrendous. If you want to sacrifce then it can be done in a better manner.
 

Singh

Phat Cat
Super Mod
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
20,311
Likes
8,403
Country flag
Indians throng Nepal's Gadhimai fair for animal sacrifice

KATHMANDU: Thousands of Indians from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states bordering Nepal swarmed to the Himalayan republic’s southern plains
Twitter Facebook Share
Email Print Save Comment
Tuesday to attend a notorious Hindu fair there and sacrifice animals and birds in the hope their wishes would be fulfilled.

While a debate began to grow in Nepal about the Gadhimai Fair in Bara district and the wanton cruelty it inflicted on animals, the festival drew its strength from zealous Indian attendees who have been flocking to it every five years in a bid to circumvent the ban imposed on animal sacrifices in their own states.

The name on everyone’s lips on Tuesday, when the slaughter of buffaloes started, was that of Raman Thakur, a farmer from Sitamarhi in Bihar who sacrificed 105 buffaloes to show his gratitude. The goddess, Thakur said, had answered the prayer he had made five years ago by granting him a son.

Men, women and children poured in from Bihar, most of them carrying kid goats and roosters, many of which had been smuggled across the porous Indo-Nepal border, bypassing the few Nepali quarantine posts. “My son Vishnu has been ill for years and can’t walk,” said Kalaiya Devi, pointing to a severely malnourished child in her arms whose legs looked like matchsticks. “I am going to sacrifice a pigeon now and come back with a buffalo at the next fair if the goddess gives him the strength to walk.”

People who believe in witchcraft and supernatural powers and were hardened to suffering due to the suffering they themselves have undergone for generations are the people who keep the Gadhimai Fair in Nepal alive while the locals regard it more as an occasion to do brisk business when their hotels and restaurants remain full.

Ram Mahato, 37, who also came from Sitamarhi, planned to watch the execution of the animals, visit the circus and drink his fill of local liquor that has also been doing brisk sale underground despite an official ban on it. He had not heard of Maneka Gandhi, let alone her plea to the Nepal government to ban the quinquennial slaughter at Gadhimai. Neither had he heard that six people, including one from Motihari, had died after consuming adulterated hooch.

“Gandhi?” he asked, scratching his head. “Is she related to Indira Gandhi? But then, they have everything, unlike us. They can afford not to seek the blessings of the goddess.”

The local Maoist MP, Shiv Chandra Kushwaha, said he had decided to skip attending parliament – which his party had agreed to allow to convene for three critical days to pass the budget – to attend the fair since it was for a bigger cause. “About 75 percent of the people who come to fair to offer sacrifices are Indians. We can’t stop them because it is a religious sentiment. Why blame us? It is not us who are making the sacrifices.”

The Maoist MP estimates about 15,000 buffaloes will be killed Tuesday. On Wednesday, he says, the number of slaughtered goats, roosters and pigeons will run into hundreds of thousands. The temple authorities have built a new slaughter house at a cost of nearly NRS 5 million while a huge pit has been dug to bury the heads of the butchered animals. The animal skins are being bought by tannery owners in India and Nepal.

Nepal’s government refused to ban the massacre despite warnings by animal lovers and livestock experts that it could cause an outbreak of animal-borne diseases like goat plague, swine flu and bird flu.

Though celebrities like Maneka Gandhi and yesteryear’s sex symbol French actress Brigitte Bardot raised their voices against the killings, the root of the problem perhaps is that these voices are not as potent in the drinking water and electricity-less villages of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh as the voices of imagined gods and demons.

Indians throng Nepal's Gadhimai fair for animal sacrifice - South Asia - World - The Times of India
 

Singh

Phat Cat
Super Mod
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
20,311
Likes
8,403
Country flag
I'm astonished that this kind of barbarism prevails in Nepal in the 21st century. Not only have illiteracy, religion and superstition played a big part in the "celebration" of this annual ritual massacre, but the government, even the current Maoist one, seems toothless to do anything about it.

This is what happens when countries have a state religion-whether Hinduism or Islam or anything else, 2000-3000 year old barbaric cultural practices simply have no place in modern society.

We ought to be eternally grateful to our founding fathers for establishing a secular, democratic, and progressive Republic of India, and banning such disgusting and heinous customs.
Ever been to an abattoir in North America ??
This practice is far less barbaric than a conveyor belt killing machine.
 

Yusuf

GUARDIAN
Super Mod
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Messages
24,324
Likes
11,757
Country flag
Paaji, dont we think about a "humane" way to kill those sentenced to death?
As far as Muslim traditions go, there is a proper way to do it. The animal is given water and then the throat is slit with a very sharp knife in one go. We can debate all we want about it, but at least it is better than the pictures shown above.
 

tarunraju

Sanathan Pepe
Mod
Joined
Sep 18, 2009
Messages
9,080
Likes
40,077
Country flag
Hold on, how is this barbarism in the name of Religion? Muslims cull goats during Bakrid (Eid al-Adha), each family 'sacrifices' a goat and feasts on it. I'm fairly sure there are more Muslim families than 250,000 in India let alone the rest of the Muslim world that celebreates Eid al-Adha, and hence figuratively more animals are 'sacrificed'. In the US, pretty-much every Christian family cuts a turkey on Thanksgiving (or at least buys a bird from the market). How is this any less 'barbaric'? Those animals are any way killed, sacrifice or not. There's no scope to piss and moan about the rituals without being grossly Hippocratic.
 

Singh

Phat Cat
Super Mod
Joined
Feb 23, 2009
Messages
20,311
Likes
8,403
Country flag
Paaji, dont we think about a "humane" way to kill those sentenced to death?
As far as Muslim traditions go, there is a proper way to do it. The animal is given water and then the throat is slit with a very sharp knife in one go. We can debate all we want about it, but at least it is better than the pictures shown above.
^^ Can anyone go to the butcher shop, see animals being slaughtered, and not feel nauseous ?

I don't see anything humane in killing a perfectly healthy animal whether by a single blow or by torture for its meat to satiate my tongue.

However, I am in denial and therefore eat meat every day.
 

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top