Nepal: Gadhimai Festival to be celebrated without animal sacrifices

Gadhimai, held every five years in the Bariyarpur district of Nepal, is the world's largest animal sacrifice festival, at which thousands of animals – including buffaloes, goats, pigs, pigeons and chickens – are beheaded to appease the goddess Gadhimai.

A significant portion of the animals slaughtered at the festival are illegally transported from India to Nepal, with a large share originating from the state of Bihar.

Prior to the press conference, animal welfare advocates together with Acharya Prashant met with the Chief Secretary of Bihar and requested that instructions be issued to police and enforcement authorities to prevent illegal animal transports and to issue a statement calling on worshippers to refrain from animal sacrifices. In addition, former members of parliament wrote to the government of Bihar demanding preventive measures.

The representatives cited rulings of the Supreme Court in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 881/2014 entitled Gauri Maulekhi v. Union of India & Ors, which acknowledged the smuggling of animals across the Indo-Nepali border and directed authorities to ensure that no live animals are exported from India to Nepal unless a licence under the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act of 1992 is in place.

During the press conference, Acharya Prashant joined the animal welfare groups in urging worshippers to celebrate the festival with compassion and to honour traditions without harming animals.

Devotion should inspire compassion, not cruelty. The slaughter of animals in the name of the divine diminishes the spirit of worship. Let us honor the goddess by upholding the sanctity of all life during Gadhimai, he said.

Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Chairperson of People For Animals, added: "Protecting animals is not only about preventing suffering, but also about fostering a society that values compassion and respect for all living beings. We must question outdated traditions and find new ways to celebrate festivals that honor life rather than take it away."

To prevent the illegal transport of animals for mass sacrifices across the border, teams are deployed at strategic border checkpoints to assist border police in inspecting vehicles crossing the border, registering cases, and confiscating animals.

Alokparna Sengupta, Managing Director of Humane Society International/India, said: "As in 2014 and 2019, this year too we firmly oppose the cruelty of animal sacrifice, which is highly regressive and has no place in today’s society. We can honor traditions without animals having to suffer, thereby creating a better, kinder world for animals and humans alike in the future."

Animal welfare advocates have been working since 2014 to end animal sacrifices at this site. Thanks to their sustained collective efforts, the cruel animal sacrifices at Gadhimai have decreased significantly: from an estimated more than 500’000 animals killed in 2009 to around 200’000 animals in 2014 and tens of thousands of animals in 2019, including an estimated 3’500 buffalo.