Devotees in Gujarat's Mahisagar district were shocked to have an unusual visitor in the Khodiyar Mata temple on Sunday, June 23. A 6-foot long crocodile was seen sitting near the idol in the temple. While most would get scared to have a reptile crawling in the temple premises, the villagers called it a miracle. In fact, the rescue operation of the crocodile was delayed because some devotees called it an auspicious presence. The reason being, the Khodiyar Mata, the family deity of the Patel community in the state is depicted as riding on a crocodile. So when an actual reptile came in, devotees paid their respects. The incident was captured on video and has been shared online. Gujarat Farmer Finds 8-Foot Long Crocodile Under His Bed, View Scary Pics!

A large number of people had gathered when they heard the news of the crocodile. And villagers in Lunwada tehsil offered prayers, conducted aarti and showered vermillion on the 6-foot reptile as it laid near the goddess' idol. The rescue operation of this crocodile was almost delayed by two hours because of the locals, as per the Mahisagar deputy conservator of forests RM Parmar. He was quoted to PTI, "When our personnel reached there to rescue the crocodile, people opposed it. We waited for two hours as we did not want to hurt religious sentiments. However, later, we managed to get the reptile to a nearby pond." Crocodile Attacks to Rise Due to Global Warming, Says Expert.

Check Pics of The Crocodile in Gujarat Temple:

Watch Video of Crocodile Entering Khodiyar Temple in Gujarat:

The crocodile was about 4 years old. It was a totally chaotic situation here but people also offered their prayers to the crocodile's 'miraculous' presence. There are a number of lakes around the temple and the Mahisagar river also has crocodiles. Parmar also mentioned that this crocodile may have strayed its way in search of food.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 24, 2019 09:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).