Agartala, March 14 (IANS) Maneka Gandhi's appeal to stop animal sacrifice in Tripura's temples has sparked a debate with animal lovers supporting her while others dead against stopping of age-old traditions.

'We are taking opinion of the royal family, state government, priests and the civil society over Maneka Gandhi's request to stop animal sacrifice in the temples,' South Tripura District Magistrate Swapan Saha told reporters Sunday.

A large number of animals, including buffalo, goats and pigeons are sacrificed in the Tripura temples - all on government expense.

People For Animals (PFA) chairperson Gandhi, a former union minister, in recent letters to the district magistrates of south and west Tripura districts asked them to stop 'cruel killing of animals in the temples'.

On Oct 15, 1949, the erstwhile princely state of Tripura merged with India through an agreement signed between Kanchan Prabha Devi, then regent maharani, and the governor general of India.

The agreement made it obligatory for the Tripura government to continue the sponsorship of temples run earlier by Hindu rulers. And it continues to this day.

A full-fledged wing - Debarchan Vibhag - under district magistrates in all of Tripura's four districts now bears this responsibility and the entire expenditure of eight temples including that of animal sacrifice.

Tripura's royal family descendent Pradyot Kishore Manikya Deb Burman strongly protested Gandhi's request to stop animal sacrifice.

'Can Maneka ask the Muslims to stop slaughtering of animals?' Deb Burman told reporters.

'I personally against any kind of animal killings, but it is also a tradition or customs to sacrifice animals in temples during various occasions,' he said.

According to historian and columnist Jayanta Bhattacharya the controversy is an old one.

'Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, who visited princely Tripura more than seven times and was close to the then kings. Tagore wrote a play 'Bisharjan' (emersion) disapproving the animal sacrifice in a temple in southern Tripura,' Bhattacharya stated.

'In 1997, the then district magistrate of south Tripura sought public opinion on the animal sacrifice in Tripura Sundari temple in Udaipur (South Tripura district). Most people and devotees vehemently opposed stopping of animal sacrifice.'

The Tripura Sundari temple is regarded as one of the 51 'shakti peeths' (holy sites) of Hindu pilgrimage in India.

Local government bodies are also in favour of discontinuing animal sacrifice.

'We can not support the cruel killing of animals in the 21st century. Animal sacrifice in temples and other places must be stopped immediately,' said Subrata Deb, chairperson of the Udaipur municipality.

Animal lovers also came out in supported Maneka Gandhi's appeal to stop sacrifice animals in a cruel manner.

'Government should take stern action against animal sacrifice in the name of religion or gods. Government's sponsoring of animal sacrifice is also unprecedented in India,' said animal lover and award winning poet Bimalendra Chakraborty.