Carcass of the dead crocodile Babia, claimed to be vegetarian, that inhabited the lake at the Sri Ananthapadmanabha Swamy temple, being kept for public homage, in Kasaragod. Photo: PTI

Hundreds of people attended the tearful funeral Monday of a crocodile believed to have been divine and survived for decades on a vegetarian diet at a Hindu temple in India.

The lone "divine" crocodile guarded the much-revered temple of 3,000 years old, lurking in the surrounding lake for nearly 80 years, the temple's secretary said. 

The revered reptile was found floating lifeless in the lake early on Monday after reportedly being off its food for several days.

The crocodile was considered holy because it was thought never to have attacked another animal or any human - including children who were brought to the lake's edge to touch the reptile to gain its blessings.

The scaly corpse was adorned with flowers and blessed before being carried through the crowd of mourners on a coconut leaf bed placed on a litter and then buried on the temple compound.