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Religious association
Goddess Ganga
Makara or crocodile is the vehicle of Varuna -the god of the ocean, Shukra or Venus and Goddess Ganga – the holy river. The animal is sometimes associated with Kamadeva, the god of love.
The symbol of Suvidhinatha (Pushpadanta), the ninth Jaina Tirthankara, is a crocodile.
Makara also represents the sign of Capricorn in the Hindu zodiac. In many parts of the two districts of North and South Twenty four Parganas of West Bengal, the Gajan festival commences with the worship of the crocodile of Shiva.
"Mangge Thapne" - Crocodile worship in Goa
The crocodile has been worshipped for centuries in Goa, a practice that is believed to owe its origin to the flooding of the paddy fields by sea water which would destroy the crops.
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