Is Kitty Distressed Or Is It Sanatan Dharm? Cat Circling Maharashtra's Shani Shingnapur Idol Puzzles Netizens

A cat circling a temple idol has gone viral on social media, discussing whether it divine intervention or just something random.

The cat had been doing so from an idol of Lord Shiva at a nearby temple. 

Source : X/@BeingArun28

Cats are known to do mysterious things, but this one has the netizens divided, some call it divine intervention some say it’s just a cat being a cat. In Maharashtra’s Shani Shingnapur temple, a cat was captured on video circling the idol of Lord Shani. 

In the video, shared by BJP Haryana’s State Head Social Media, Arun Yadav, a grey tabby cat is seen circling an idol which has several diyas in front of them. It stops for a few seconds to look at the people near it, then goes back the circling the idol. In the video, someone can be heard saying that the cat had apparently been circling the idol for three days straight. The person continues that the cat had been doing so from an idol of Lord Shiva at a nearby temple. 

Yadav along with the video post wrote, "One of the temples at Shani Shingnapur in Maharashtra
The cat has been circling for 3 days. Although the cat is afraid of humans, here all the visitors are praying and the cat is continuing its circumambulation without any fear 😲.This is the strength of Sanatan Dharma 👇"

महाराष्ट्र के शनि शिंगणापुर मंदिर मे एक
बिल्ली 3 दिन से परिक्रमा कर रही है

वैसे बिल्ली इंसानों से डरती है लेकिन यंहा सभी दर्शणार्थी पूजा कर रहे है और वह बगैर डरे अपनी परिक्रमा क़ो लगातार कर रही है 😲

यही सनातन धर्म कि ताकत है 👇 pic.twitter.com/YXecZiQme2

— Arun Yadav 🇮🇳 (@BeingArun28) November 7, 2024

Meanwhile, in a Reddit thread on the topic showed that people were puzzled by the incident, “Kuch din baad log iss billi ko bhi Puja karenge bolenge bhagwan ka avatar hei fir international news banke india ki aur bezzati hogi”. (A few days later people were pray to cat, call it an avatar of a god, make it an international news and humiliate the country further). To this another redditor replied, "Kiya toh kya hoga? [So what?] It's a free country. Why are you guys so insecure about what the westerners say and think about us for validation? These are the same people who seriously think that the earth is flat."

A Redditor said that the cat was likely sick, “A cat walking in circles typically indicates severe medical issues such as vestibular disease, ear infections, neurological problems, or cognitive decline. This cat is clearly unwell. It's not eating correctly, yet some people will still try to attribute this behaviour to miraculous causes, showcasing their lack of understanding. Smh. [Shaking My Head]”

Another user, chimed in “Stop this nonsense. Superstition ko news banana koi India se seekhe. (People can learn how to make superstition news from India.)”

Most of the redditors believe that it was learn behaviour, that the feline must have observed people circling around and decided to do it too. 

Cats have been surrounded with mysticism, in ancient Egypt they were associated with the goddesses Isis and Bastet. In Islamic culture, cats are revered. In Japan are depicted as supernatural entities. As per history in Europe, farmers would try to please cats by keeping out milk, so that they would get a good crop.