NEW DELHI — A man in southern India married a female
dog in a traditional Hindu ceremony as an attempt to atone for
stoning two other dogs to death — an act he believes cursed him — a
newspaper reported Tuesday.
P. Selvakumar married the sari-draped former stray named Selvi,
chosen by family members and then bathed and clothed for the
ceremony Sunday at a Hindu temple in the southern state of Tamil
Nadu, the Hindustan Times newspaper said.
Selvakumar, 33, told the paper he had been suffering since he
stoned two dogs to death and hung their bodies from a tree 15 years
ago.
"After that my legs and hands got paralyzed and I lost hearing
in one ear," he said in the report.
The paper said an astrologer had told Selvakumar the wedding was
the only way he could cure the maladies. It did not say whether his
situation had improved.
Deeply superstitious people in rural India sometimes organize
weddings to dogs and other animals, believing it can ward off
certain curses.
The paper showed a picture of Selvakumar sitting next to the
dog, which was wearing an orange sari and a flower garland.
The paper said the groom and his family then had a feast, while
the dog got a bun.