HYDERABAD: A tortoise which managed to get inside the Chilkur Balaji temple is being hailed by the priests as an incarnation of the Lord Vishnu, and is being prayed to.
Priests of the temple were surprised to see the tortoise inside the shivalaya, as they could not understand how it had entered the temple since the doors were shut.
The priests said the tortoise was kurma avatara (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu, and performed special pujas for the unexpected visitor.
Temple authorities said the tortoise could not have entered through drain pipes or any of the passages leading to the shivalaya.
Temple priest CS Rangarajan said, “The tortoise’s appearance signifies the swallowing of the poison ‘halahalam’ by Lord Shiva. Coronavirus will also be swallowed by the divine soon.”