12 most bizarre religious festivals in India

Gotmaar

This bizarre festival is unique to the town of Pandhurna in Madhya Pradesh. Every year people from opposite sides of the river Jam throw stones to “save” a tree in the middle of the river, in order to get the rights to carry it to their village temple. This festival has been the cause of several deaths and thousands of injuries every year, due to which, it has been banned by the government.

Smashing coconut on head

Who would want to do this willingly? Apparently some thousands of devotees flock to the Mahalakshmi temple in Tamil Nadu for this festival in which they allow the priests to smash coconuts on their heads to attract good luck and fortune.

Feeding a live King Cobra
Nag Pachami is a festival celebrated in northern India and Nepal. The festival is an act of devotion to the King Cobra snake. Devotees flock to the temples to pray to the snake, and apply vermillion (kumkum) to its hood. Some even offer milk to the snake to drink. All this, without the fangs removed. According to the priests, snakes do not attack devotees on this auspicious day.

Baby tossing

At the Baba Umer Dargah near Sholapur in Maharashtra, babies are dropped from a height of 50 feet, from the top of the dargah, to be caught by a group of individuals standing below, holding a narrow bedsheet. This is supposed to bring the family luck and has been a popular festival for the last 700 years. Both hindus and muslims follow this ritual with fervour.

Facing a raging bull

Jallikattu is a festival that is well-known now for being the news. The Indian version of the Spanish bull-fighting festival is as dangerous as it is ancient, the practice being a crowd favorite for over a century. Special bulls are reared for this festival and given a special diet as well. Just before the festival begins, the bulls horns are sharpened and the prize is usually tied to it. The people who try to tackle the bull cannot have any weapons — just their bare hands to fight a frenzied bull.

Garudan Thookam

This festival takes body piercings to a whole new level. Devotees of the Kali goddess in Kerala pierce their backs with hooks and them suspend themselves mid air as “garuda”, the vehicle of Vishnu, who quenched the goddess’ thirst with demon blood. Some of them carry their babies for good luck.

Theemithi
Fire-walking or the festival of Theemithi in Tamil Nadu is a part of a wider enactment of the Mahabharata. The act of fire-walking has become so “popular” that it has now spread to Sri Lanka, Malaysia and even South Africa. According to the Mahabharata, after the Kurukshetra battle, Draupadi walked on a bed of live coals and emerged unscathed. Devotees do the same, and hope to be granted a wish or blessing by the goddess.

Men bashing

During Holi, thousands of villagers gather in towns near Mathura in UP to participate in the festival of lathe maar, in which women of the village ’beat up’ the Gopis who come to tease them from neighboring villages. With large sticks as their weapon, they attack the men who try to save themselves under a shield.

Blowing fire

During the festival of Ram Navami that celebrates the birthday of the hindu god, devotees blow fire out of their mouths. Some of them dance and do circus tricks while blowing fire.

Thaipoosam

This is not a sight for the faint-hearted. In a festival that honours Murugan (or Kartikeya, the son of Shiva and Parvati) for destroying the evil army of Tarakasura, devotees, after a 48 day fast, pierce their bodies with hooks. Some pull heavy objects and some piece their tongue and mouth as well.

Laathi-fight

Let’s begin with the Banni Festival celebrated at the Devaragattu Temple in Andhra Pradesh. Every year, around the time of Dussera, several hundred devotees gather with lathis (sticks) and attempt to hit each other on the head. This practice begins at midnight and continues till dawn. They do so to commemorate the killing of a demon. Spectators keep a distance and police and medical assistance is available. But in the frenzy, this festival is known to have had hundreds of people injured.

Cow trampling

The Govardhan Puja in Madhya Pradesh involves a ritual that involves the devotee to get trampled upon by stampeding cows. After a 5-day fast, the villagers decorate their cows with flowers and fabric and henna while some lay on the path and allow the cows to trample on them, thus allowing the gods to answer their prayers.