Jaw-Dropping Images From The World's Largest Animal Sacrifice

http://www.businessinsider.in/Jaw-Dropping-Images-From-The-Worlds-Largest-Animal-Sacrifice/articleshow/45342118.cms

The two-day festival, called Gadhimai Mela Festival, takes place at the Gadhimai temple about 100 miles south of Kathmandu.

The festival is held every five years, during which hundreds of thousands of animals are killed in the name of the Hindu goddess of power. Devotees believe the ritual will bring them good luck.

The largest traditional animal sacrifice in the world is held in southern Nepal with an estimated 4,000 buffalo, goats, and pigeons slaughtered on one day alone.

In 2009, an estimated 350,000 animals were killed. Close to 500,000 animals were expected to be sacrificed this year, despite campaigns to ban the festival.

Millions of Hindus from all over India and Nepal participate in the festival to honor the Goddess Gadhimai, a Hindu deity who devotees believe will grant them wishes if they sacrifice animals and birds.