As Muslims in the national capital gear up to celebrate Eid-Ul-Azha Monday, a pair of goats that have a natural pattern that reads like "Allah" and "786" on them have become the show stealers at old Delhi's Jama Masjid bazar area.
Weighing around 20 kg each, one of the goats, named Tara, sports a natural design that reads like "Allah" on its neck while the other, named Noori, has "786" (considered an auspicious number) on its back.
The two-year-olds are around two feet in height and belong to the Barbari breed. Both have a price tag of Rs.1 lakh each.
"We discovered this pattern when she was six months old and realised it is a special goat. Noori has been raised by us at our home and not in a farm. So, it's a very healthy animal," Shahrukh Khan, Noori's owner from Etawah, Uttar Pradesh told IANS.
Similar claims are made by Khemchand who owns Tara.
"It's a divine goat and the one who buys it will have the blessings of the almighty," said the 60-year-old hailing from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.
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According to sellers, such goats are not unusual and every year the market gets a few of them. Last year, a similar goat was sold for around Rs.4 lakh.
While Noori and Tara are attracting buyers for the unique designs on their bodies, another pair of stout goats weighing over 100 kg each are also gathering eyeballs.
Standing at around five feet each, the pair belongs to the Totapari breed and is selling at a price tag of Rs.3.6 lakh.
According to their owner, Rizaq Ahmed who lives in old Delhi and has been coming to the goat market for over a decade, the goats are around 20 months old and consume half a kg of chana, four kg of fresh green leaves and grass daily.
The temporary market comes up every year on a vast ground adjacent to the Jama Masjid ahead of the festival and is open round the clock.
The sellers usually come from nearby states like Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Muslims around the world offer animal sacrifice on Eid-ul-Azha, also called Bakr Eid, to commemorate the sacrifice offered by Prophet Ibrahim.
Allah ordered Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail. When the blindfolded father moved the blade on his son's throat to carry out the divine command, a sheep from heaven replaced Ismail.
According to tradition, a sacrificial goat has to be carefully selected. It should be healthy, with a strong physique, and should not have any deformities.