'Temple-saviours' for tortoises in Asom

Guwahati, Apr 10(UNI) The tortoises in Asom had silent saviours long before the wildlife activists expressed concern over their dwindling numbers globally.

Temples in this North Eastern state had been associated with conservation of tortoises since centuries.

Tortoises had always been worshipped in Hinduism and this aquatic life form being the second 'avatar' (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu, the 'preserver' of life on Earth according to Hindu beliefs.

A pujari of the famed Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, among the most revered 'shaktipeeths', said that the temple had been working for the conservation of tortoises since ages.

''The main temple compound has a pond solely dedicated to the tortoises in the Bharirabi temple premises, with a large number of tortoises living peacefully there,'' he mentioned.

''A few of these tortoises are as much as 200 years old,'' the pandit said, adding that ''these harmless creatures are used to human presence and have become a part of the lives of the people in the premises.'' He further said the tortoises respond to the name 'Mohan', and when called by this name, they flock towards the person.

''They eat whatever is offered to them though we monitor that devotees do not feed them any harmful food unknowingly,'' the pujari added.

Besides the Kamakhya temple, several other temples, including Nagshankar temple in Tezpur, Madhab temple in Hajo and many more in Upper Asom, had long been homes for innumerable tortoises.

Asom alone has 19 types of tortoises of the total 35 species found in North East. Altogether 61 species of tortoises, including those found in NE, have so far been identified worldwide.

The presence of a large number of water-bodies and a conducive environment are the primary reasons for such a large number of species of tortoises in NE.

Moreover, the conservation efforts of the temples have also ensured that the tortoise population here has survived the effects of such factors as global warming and other environmental degeneration.

UNI