Villagers of Kodimbala village of Kadaba taluk in Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka went into panic mode as a large king cobra moved away from its natural habitat and entered a human-populated area. The snake had been reportedly spotted several times in the village and it has now finally been rescued and brought back to the forest. The snake captured is enormous, measuring 13 feet long and is believed by locals to be an avatar of Kalinga.
The king cobra was first discovered by a worker who was working in a rubber mill. He heard a hissing sound and discovered the snake inside the small plant. Locals got the information and chased after the snake. Due to its sheer size, it was first believed to be either a python or a rattlesnake.
After the villagers were unable to capture the snake, Subrahmanyad Gopala, a snake expert was called upon who managed to track and rescue the huge serpent after a gruelling 7-hour operation. After its capture, villagers as well as forest officials took pictures along with the 13-foot-long snake. The locals believed the snake was an incarnation of the mythical Kaliya or Kalinga who according to Hindu scriptures, was a venomous Nāga living in the Yamuna river, in Vṛndāvana. He lived while bubbling hot water and terrorized the locals until he was defeated in combat by Lord Krishna.
The king cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world, and can grow up to 18 feet and is the only snake in the world that lays eggs inside nests on the ground, guarding them till they hatch. In India, it is found in the Western Ghats, Orissa, Bengal, and Assam in addition to other areas including the Terai landscape. They seldom venture into human-inhabited areas and their love for rat snakes is said to be one of the reasons they may enter areas populated by humans, apart from pressing issues like deforestation.
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