MANISH RAJ
Deoghar, April 28: Mythologically known as ‘Sankat Mochan Hanuman,’ the monkeys of Trikut Mountain in the Mohanpur block of Deoghar are facing a different type of challenge these days.
Trikut Mountain has been the natural habitat for these monkeys for a long time. Earlier, the mountain was covered with all types of trees whose fruits were the main source of food for the monkeys. But with time, deforestation of the mountain and the development of the Trikut mountain as a tourist place compelled these creatures to shift to other food habits.
Their food habits have totally changed as tourists love to feed these monkeys the wet chickpeas and grams sold there by some hawkers regularly.
Talking to lagatar24.com, Subodh Mandal, a local resident and hawker, said that he used to sell 4-5 kg of chickpea on normal days. But now that the ropeway has been sealed, the sale came down drastically because, after the ropeway tragedy that took place on April 10, tourists avoid coming here.
Sudhir Mandal is not alone but there are many hawkers whose livelihood has been selling chickpeas that are distributed by tourists among the monkeys. Those chickpeas are distributed by the Forest Department.
Lalit Mandal, a staff of the Forest Department comes twice a day and feeds the monkeys. He said that the quantity distributed by the department is not sufficient because the monkeys have become habitual of chickpeas given by tourists.
Talking to lagatar24.com, he also claimed that monkeys are suffering from difficulties in search of food as the footfall of tourists is very low these days. An old staff of the temple located on the mountain said that the deforestation had compelled the monkeys to depend upon tourists for food. Even these monkeys come out of the mountain area and wander from here and there in search of food.
A local old man said that they have started to reach houses in nearby villages and eat away even cooked meals stored in the kitchen. The villages are afraid that if the ropeway continues to be shut for long, then these monkeys will destroy the food grains in the fields.
Meanwhile, everyone is waiting for the reopening of the ropeway and praying to Sankat Mochan Hanuman too for bailing the monkeys out of starvation.
