A pair of vultures was said to have visited a hill shrine regularly and ate the food offered by the temple priest. So, the place came to be called…
The general view of sanitary work being an unpleasant job must be the reason to view even a bird from a negative perspective. The vulture, a large bird that chiefly feeds on the carrion, has long been a metaphor for contemptible people. But, the fact, of which many are unaware, is the bird’s vital role in maintaining the ecological system and protecting people and wild animals from diseases spread from the carcasses.
“As I came across the meaning of vulture in Merriam Webster Dictionary, I was shocked to know that the word could also figuratively mean a ‘rapacious or predatory person’” says S.Bharathidasan, who authored the book Paaru Kazhugugalum Pazhangudiyinarum (Vultures and aborigines).
The man, who runs his environmental organization Arulagam, has been on a mission to save vultures for over a decade. He penned the book with intricate details on the bird and how its population got dwindled by the use of diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, on the livestock.
“Famed ornithologist and naturalist Salim Ali, in his book Common Birds stated that the white-backed vulture was the most common of the vulture species, which was found everywhere in the country. But now, the bird is on the brink of extinction. The white-backed vulture, which was once frequently seen in flocks, is rarely sighted these days. Its disappearance in a period of three decades urged many environmental organizations to trace the reasons behind it. After several assumptions, it was finally discovered that the vulture became extinct after it consumed the carcass of cattle, which contained the toxic elements of diclofenac.
When it was brought to light, the government banned the drug in 2006. However, several other medicines with similar effects are still manufactured and sold in the market” worries Bharathidasan.
Another interesting chapter in the book speaks on how even certain places in Tamil Nadu were named after the bird.
“The vulture is called by different Tamil names as Manjal Mooku Paaru, Thotti Kazhugu, Pappaathi Kazhugu, and so on. However, the bird has another different, but respectable name ‘Thiru Kazhugu’ after which the hill shrine near Chengalpattu came to be called as ‘Thirukazhugukundram’.
It later got corrupted to ‘Thirukazhukundram’. “says Bharathidasan.
“The 7th-century saint-poet Thirunavukarasar, who penned the Saiva bhakthi literature Tevaram, calls the hill shrine as Kazhugukozhu Vedagiri. The temple is called so after a pair of vultures was said to have visited the hill shrine regularly and ate the food offered by the temple priest. Besides, the birdman Salim Ali said in one of his books that he had seen an Egyptian vulture eat the food offered by the Brahmin devotees in the shrine. Also, city-based veteran ornithologist K.Rathinam, author of the book Thamizhnaattu Paravaigal (Birds of Tamil Nadu), had seen first-hand the same at Thirukazhukundram ”
The vulture is generally called the ‘scavenging bird of prey’.
“But, admiring the bird’s role in keeping the ecosystem balanced, Justice M. Sundar, while upholding the ban on diclofenac opined that, instead of calling the vulture a ‘scavenger’ it should be better mentioned as a ‘sanitary worker’” says Bharathidasan.
“As I came across the meaning of vulture in Merriam Webster Dictionary, I was shocked to know that the word could also figuratively mean a ‘rapacious or predatory person’” says S.Bharathidasan, who authored the book Paaru Kazhugugalum Pazhangudiyinarum (Vultures and aborigines).
The man, who runs his environmental organization Arulagam, has been on a mission to save vultures for over a decade. He penned the book with intricate details on the bird and how its population got dwindled by the use of diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, on the livestock.
“Famed ornithologist and naturalist Salim Ali, in his book Common Birds stated that the white-backed vulture was the most common of the vulture species, which was found everywhere in the country. But now, the bird is on the brink of extinction. The white-backed vulture, which was once frequently seen in flocks, is rarely sighted these days. Its disappearance in a period of three decades urged many environmental organizations to trace the reasons behind it. After several assumptions, it was finally discovered that the vulture became extinct after it consumed the carcass of cattle, which contained the toxic elements of diclofenac.
When it was brought to light, the government banned the drug in 2006. However, several other medicines with similar effects are still manufactured and sold in the market” worries Bharathidasan.
Another interesting chapter in the book speaks on how even certain places in Tamil Nadu were named after the bird.
“The vulture is called by different Tamil names as Manjal Mooku Paaru, Thotti Kazhugu, Pappaathi Kazhugu, and so on. However, the bird has another different, but respectable name ‘Thiru Kazhugu’ after which the hill shrine near Chengalpattu came to be called as ‘Thirukazhugukundram’.
It later got corrupted to ‘Thirukazhukundram’. “says Bharathidasan.
“The 7th-century saint-poet Thirunavukarasar, who penned the Saiva bhakthi literature Tevaram, calls the hill shrine as Kazhugukozhu Vedagiri. The temple is called so after a pair of vultures was said to have visited the hill shrine regularly and ate the food offered by the temple priest. Besides, the birdman Salim Ali said in one of his books that he had seen an Egyptian vulture eat the food offered by the Brahmin devotees in the shrine. Also, city-based veteran ornithologist K.Rathinam, author of the book Thamizhnaattu Paravaigal (Birds of Tamil Nadu), had seen first-hand the same at Thirukazhukundram ”
The vulture is generally called the ‘scavenging bird of prey’.
“But, admiring the bird’s role in keeping the ecosystem balanced, Justice M. Sundar, while upholding the ban on diclofenac opined that, instead of calling the vulture a ‘scavenger’ it should be better mentioned as a ‘sanitary worker’” says Bharathidasan.