A new investigation by Lady Freethinker (LFT) and Karmagawa documents the Gadhimai Festival: a celebration that occurs every five years and culminates in a two-day mass sacrifice of animals.
Tens of thousands of animals were brought to Bariyarpur, Nepal for the festival. Most were packed into vehicles alongside people and traveled long distances, mostly within Nepal or from India. The humans, many of whom are extremely impoverished, brought animals to be sacrificed in hopes that doing so would keep their family safe from misfortune.
Photo by Aaron Gekoski for Lady Freethinker & Karmagawa
The sheer scale of death, suffering, violence, and gore at this festival was almost surreal.
Photos of the scene show animals, tethered helplessly to their handlers or wooden posts, in obvious fear as they were lined up and beheaded. Corpses, pools of blood, entrails, and decapitated heads were strewn across the landscape. Children carried the carcasses of headless birds.
“I will never forget that smell or those sights,” LFT Investigator Aaron Gekoski said.
Photo by Aaron Gekoski for Lady Freethinker & Karmagawa
The festival began early in the morning on Dec. 9 with the slaughter of a dozen buffalo under the tree at the Gadhimai Temple. Butchers then headed into the walled temple, which our investigator observed had been raised, to slaughter the remaining buffalo. As many as 8,000 buffalo were killed that first day.
After this event, Gekoski gained access to the temple and was “confronted with a field of gore.”
On the second day, tens of thousands of goats, buffalo, pigeons, and other animals were sacrificed.
Buffalo were seen being dragged by ropes tied around their necks. A goat was spotted looking at a pile of bodies moments before being beheaded. A pigeon fluttered their wings frantically as a small blade sawed off their head.
The fear in the eyes of the animals was undeniable. The smell of death was everywhere.
Photo by Aaron Gekoski for Lady Freethinker & Karmagawa
Although the festival attracts enormous crowds, there are many Nepali people and Hindus who vehemently oppose the violence — including a Nepali priest who aided the investigation and told us that Hinduism does not promote the killing of living beings.
Photo by Aaron Gekoski for Lady Freethinker & Karmagawa
We are urging Nepali authorities to end the slaughter of sentient beings at the next festival. By raising our voices in support of humane alternatives, we aim to help make this the last festival in which innocent animals are sacrificed.
Please sign our petition urging the government of Nepal to officially ban animal sacrifices at all future Gadhimai Festivals.
SIGN: Stop Mass Ritual Slaughter of Animals at Nepal’s Gadhimai Festival
