epals killing fields: FIVE THOUSAND buffalo lie slaughtered at the beginning of Hindu ceremony which sees up to 300,000 animals killed to bring worshippers good luck WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Hundreds of thousands of animals set to be slaughtered during two-day religious festival in Nepal The Hindu festival is held every five years in honour of Gadhimai, the goddess of power Festivities kicked off on Friday morning with the mass-slaughter of 5,000-6,000 buffalo in a field The last time the festival was held, in 2009, more than 250,000 animals were killed, according to PETA By SARA MALM FOR MAILONLINE PUBLISHED: 09:24, 28 November 2014 | UPDATED: 21:43, 28 November 2014 1.6k shares 2.2k View comments More than 250,000 animals are being lined up for slaughter as Nepal embarks on a two-day religious festival where buffalo, birds and goats are sacrificed to appease a Hindu goddess. Millions of Hindus flock to the ceremony, which is held every five years at the temple of Gadhimai, the goddess of power, in Bariyarpur, Nepal, near the Indian border. The last time the festival was held, in 2009, more than 250,000 animals were killed, according to animal rights organisation PETA, who is campaigning to put a stop to the practice. Scroll down for video Offer to the gods: Thousands of buffalo lie dead in a field after being sacrificed for a religious holiday in near the Indian border in Nepal +34 Offer to the gods: Thousands of buffalo lie dead in a field after being sacrificed for a religious holiday in near the Indian border in Nepal A butcher walks with a bloodied blade as he looks for an animal to kill during a mass slaughter to celebrate the start of the Gadhimai festival +34 A butcher walks with a bloodied blade as he looks for an animal to kill during a mass slaughter to celebrate the start of the Gadhimai festival Religious killing: A butcher gets ready to kill a buffalo during a mass slaughter of the animals for the Gadhimai festival inside a walled enclosure in the village of Bariyapur, near the temple of Gadhimai, the goddess of power +34 Religious killing: A butcher gets ready to kill a buffalo during a mass slaughter of the animals for the Gadhimai festival inside a walled enclosure in the village of Bariyapur, near the temple of Gadhimai, the goddess of power Field of meat: The festival is held for two days and is kicked off with a mass-slaughter of buffalo, after which hundreds of thousands of animals are sacrificed to the goddess +34 Field of meat: The festival is held for two days and is kicked off with a mass-slaughter of buffalo, after which hundreds of thousands of animals are sacrificed to the goddess A severely injured water buffalo awaits its slaughter as a devotee prepares to cut off the animals head in front of watching crowds +34 A severely injured water buffalo awaits its slaughter as a devotee prepares to cut off the animals head in front of watching crowds The festival is kicked off with the ritual slaughter of five thousand buffalo in a field near the temple, after which two days of ritual animal slaughter takes place. Animal rights activists such as PETA are campaigning to halt the mass animal-slaughter, but despite their efforts, the organisers of the festival has promised that this year will be the biggest yet. About 2.5 million devotees have turned out for the festival, according to local government official Yogendra Prasad Dulal, who said it was impossible to estimate the total number of animals sacrificed so far. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 2 Next Hot air balloon ride carries daredevils over Mount Everest... Fighting in Kashmir has left seven dead after militants attacked an Indian army patrol on November 27, 2014 Ten killed as militants battle army in Indian Kashmir US President Barack Obama pardons the National Thanksgiving Turkey Cheese during the annual ceremony in the Grand Foyer of the White House on November 26, ... The strange tale of pardoned White House turkeys Reindeer owners forced to keep Christmas appearances secret... SHARE THIS ARTICLE Share It has been a grand day, Mangal Chaudhary, head priest at a the Gadhimai temple said. The buffalo sacrifice has ended, but we will continue the rituals with goats and other animals for one more day, On the first day, worshippers slaughtered more than 6,000 buffaloes, which were coralled into holding pens in the fields, along with at least 100,000 goats and other animals, Chaudhary said. The festivities will continue on Saturday when at least another 100,000 animals will die in the name of goddess Gadhimai. Joanna Lumley speaks passionately against Gadhimai festival more videos 1234 Watch video Harrowing POV inside car smashing into embankment at 70MPH Watch video Auto-pilot lands plane PERFECTLY in ZERO visibility in... Watch video The moment buffalo herd save friend from LION attack Watch video SHOCKING brawl leaves woman clinging to Black Friday deal Watch video Black Friday BRAWL over discounted 50 inch television Watch video Turn any balloon into a case for your smartphone Watch video Baby elephant charges car of tourists... but has change of... Watch video Adorable kid claims to be a fish to avoid cleaning-up mess Watch video Michael Clarke pays an emotional tribute to Phillip Hughes Watch video What a Turkey! Girl thinks Thanksgiving bird was pregnant Watch video Epic London Underground imaginary ping pong battle Watch video Star Wars Episode VII trailer painstakingly remade with LEGO About 2.5 million devotees have turned out for the festival, according to local government official Yogendra Prasad Dulal Read more: dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2852739/Nepal-devotees-sacrifice-thousands-animals-Hindu-ritual.html#ixzz3KUowf1uT Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 21:40:49 +0000
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