Feeding the Sacred Eagles
A temple priest waits on a rocky ledge with an offering of sweet rice (Sakkaraponkal), made with rice, wheat, ghee, and sugar, to feed a pair of Egyptian Vultures. According to Hindu mythology, these birds were actually eight sages (Rishis) who were cursed by Lord Shiva to live as vultures. They were destined to worship Shiva in this form across different epochs (Yugas) to eventually attain salvation (Moksha). The birds were famously punctual for this ritual for centuries, but their visits became irregular in the 1990s and they stopped appearing entirely around 1998. Scientists point to the catastrophic decline of vultures in India caused by Diclofenac poisoning (a veterinary drug found in the cattle carcasses the birds scavenged).
