Thousands of Indians from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and other states bordering Nepal swarmedto the Himalayan republic’s southern plainsTuesday 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.
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