A glimpse of a snake is enough to instil fear in the minds of many. But a family in Nilimari village under Malkangiri's Goudaguda panchayat has been living with a couple of Cobras inside their home for years. And surprisingly, they are still unharmed by the poisonous reptiles and coexist peacefully.
As per reports, the family of Laxmi Bhumiya, a poor wage labourer in Nilimari village, discovered a couple of Cobras making the termite mound in one of the two rooms, their home. Despite knowing the fact that, the reptiles could bite them anytime, the family did not remove them from their house. Instead, they made the snakes feel at home, fed them with milk and worshipped them.
Laxmi, in particular, was very fond of the snakes and took special care of them. After she was married off, her parents took care of the reptiles and never thought to get rid of them.
Speaking to OTV, Laxmi said, "I had created a small temple at home to house the snakes. I took care of them and fed them milk every day. I never thought them as outsiders."
"I used to worship the snakes four days a week. But after my marriage, my family stopped worshipping them, but they still are feeding them and keeping the place clean," she added.
Her (Laxmi's) mother said, "There are two big snakes in the other room. However, we never faced any problem because of them. My daughter used to take good care of them. We have become old now, so we let the snake venture outside for food. They come back when they are full."
The snake family has become the talk of the area as some have even gone on to term them as fearless, daredevils.
(Reported By Jeetendra Beura, OTV)