Thousands of worshipers with their goats flocked the temple from Bara, Parsa, Rautahat and also from Kathmandu, Hetauda and Chitwan. But as they were allowed to sacrifice the animals anywhere within a two-kilometer radius of Gadhimai temple, the organizing committee said the exact number of goats sacrificed could not be counted. The committee has, however, claimed that over 50,000 goats were sacrificed Wednesday.
The entire area was covered with blood and one could see the men who carry out the killings covered in the blood and sitting in the fields. They are allowed to keep the heads of the goats they slaughter.
"We offered the goat for the happiness and prosperity of our family," said Radha Uprety, who came from Dumarwana, adding, "We have offered the head to the goddess and we plan to eat the goat meat as prasad."
Many devotees were also seen carrying pigeons to sacrifice to the goddess.
Suppliers fail to bring meat to capital
Locals from Dalit communities have taken away tons of buffalo slaughtered Tuesday, preventing contracted suppliers from carrying the meat to Kathmandu. Many locals have already started carrying the meat home.
A dispute arose between the festival organizing committee and suppliers after locals obstructed all efforts by the suppliers to lift the meat. The suppliers had arranged with the committee to take the meat and pay Rs 510 per buffalo. The suppliers had already paid Rs 5.1 million as earnest money.
"All of a sudden the locals started taking away the meat Tuesday night," said Narendra Sah, a supplier, adding, "We have lost millions of rupees."
The suppliers had also arranged for some 70 trucks to carry the meat to various cities, including Kathmandu. In addition, they also hired more than 500 laborers to skin the slain buffaloes. "The locals have already collected more than 75 percent of the buffaloes," Sah said. He added that many Dalits had come from India also and taken away the meat.
The temple premises were tense the whole day after locals pelted stones at the suppliers´ trucks. Sah said the suppliers have asked for compensation from the committee.
People from the Dalit community, however, said that traditionally they have always been given the meat and so the committee cannot give it to the suppliers instead. Many of the Dalits slaughtered the animals themselves for the devotees in hopes of getting the meat. "Since we have consumed the meat from Gadhimai since ages, we took it this time also," Shivlal Harijan of Harpur said.
The committee has claimed that since the Dalit communities had stopped collecting the carcasses, the suppliers were given the meat contract.
Meanwhile, vice-chairman of the committee, Dhenuk Prasad Chaurasiya, said,"The suppliers refused to collect the meat saying it is decaying."
A foul smell is now coming from the decaying buffalo carcasses in the temple vicinity. The Dalit Network Bara has pointed to possible health hazards from consuming such meat. "Even after our campaign against consumption of carcasses, many Dalits have taken the meat. It might be risky for their health," Rupnarayan Paswan of the Network said.
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