Kendrapara:
A priest sits in the cool sanctum sanctorum of a 300-year-old Odisha temple and prays to the resident deity as the VIP devotees – 10 resident cats – wait patiently near a bowl in which they will be served the prasad (offerings).
No jostling among crowds or song and music are seen at the Bileikhia Mutt, a rare monastery for cats in Kendrapara district. On a normal day, the cats roam freely or curl up in nooks and corners along the corridors and verandahs, sharing the the temple with the residing deity Lord Madan Mohan Jew and 10 other idols.
The temple, named after the Odia word for cat ‘Belei’, completes the prayers, feeds the offerings to the 10 resident cats and what remains is then distributed among devotees. The tradition began around three centuries ago, when King Braja Sundar Deb of the Aul Kingdom visited the monastery and saw hundreds of cats being cared for by the temple priest, per local legend. Deeply moved, he gifted a few acres of land to the temple.
On a daily basis, they are also fed biscuits, milk, rice and other treats. Many of these cats were born within the temple, while others were handed over by owners who couldn’t care for them any longer.
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