Indian villagers shave heads to mourn dead monkey

At least 200 Indians have shaved their heads to mourn the death of a monkey in their local temple.

The monkey drowned when it fell into a pond after being chased by dogs.

Afraid that its death may bring them bad omen, the villagers held a funeral procession and cremated the animal according to Hindu custom.

Another 700 villagers shaved their beards off.

Monkeys are considered sacred by Hindus and there are temples dedicated to the monkey god, Hanuman across India.

Hanuman is generally depicted with a human body, a red monkey's face and a tail and his followers believe that worshipping him will liberate them from fear and danger.

The dead monkey was one of a pair that lived near a small Hanuman temple in a village in Central India.

BBC