page_title: Killing of animals
section_title: Hinduism
hierarchical_section_title: Killing of animals / Animal sacrifice / Hinduism
caption_attribution_description: English: Immolation Sacrifice (Buffalo), Belshwar Kali Mondir, Belshwar, Nalbari, Assam, India
context_page_description: The killing of animals is animal euthanasia, animal sacrifice, animal slaughter, hunting, blood sports, or roadkill.
context_section_description: In Assam and West Bengal states of India and Nepal some Hindu temples sacrifice goats and chickens. Occasionally water buffalos are also sacrificed. Temples following Shakti school of Hinduism are the ones where sacrifice usually takes place. There are many village temples in Tamil Nadu where this kind of sacrifice takes place. Many animals are sacrificed  during the three-day-long Gadhimai festival in Nepal. In 2009 it was speculated that more than 250,000 animals were killed In 2014, 100,000 animals were sacrificed which was a decrease from previous numbers. Animals range from buffalo to rats have been sacrificed. The temple authorities enacted a ban on animal sacrifice in 2015.
caption: A water buffalo about to be sacrificed by a villager in the Durga Puja festival
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