Indians pray to 'godly' turtle

Prasanna Kumar Behera, who is in charge of Orissa state's Rajnagar district, said the captive turtle was in distress.

People in eastern India are flocking to a temple to worship a turtle with natural markings on its shell resembling the eyes of a Hindu deity, the Press Trust of India said Friday.

The news agency described the reptile as a soft shell Gangetic Turtle, which is on an official list of endangered species in India, and said worshippers chased away forestry officials when they tried to rescue the creature.

Prasanna Kumar Behera, who is in charge of Orissa state's Rajnagar district, said the captive turtle was in "distress."

- We tried our best to convince the priests and local people to hand it over to the forest department but the villagers are unrelenting - Behera said.

The unusual markings on the turtle's carapace apparently resemble the large, prominent eyes of Lord Jagannath, Orissa's most popular Hindu deity, who is believed to bring fortune and good luck.

- The turtle is in a state of distress - Behara added.

- It is a case of mistaken identity as juvenile soft-shell turtles have markings on the carapace that resemble Lord Jagannath's eyes. As these species grow, the shell markings vanish. -

India's strict wildlife laws prohibit capturing creatures named on the endangered list of species and violators can be imprisoned for up to two years.