TIRUVANNAMALAI: A Pakistan born woman who lived for a long time in Tiruvannamalai and breathed her last on Monday was prevented from cremation by her pet dog, on Monday. Tara Gowri (85) was born in Pakistan and moved over to Gujarat in India during the partition. She and her relatives moved finally to Tiruvannamalai where they lived near the Simha Teertham in the town.

As Tara Gowri died due to old age on Monday, her pet dog Nobu which failed to understand her passing refused to leave her body and lay near with its face on the corpse. Finally, when local social activist Marimaran who was called to complete the last rites came to take away the body in a hearse, Nobu refused to allow them to carry the body and tried to rouse her. When those present finally managed to load the body into the hearse, the dog also climbed onto it and again lay with its head on the body. Finally the body was cremated according to Hindu rites in the cremation ground near the Yama lingam on the girivalam path.