12 Strange & Unusual Rituals In India That Can Give You Chills

thynkfeed team

Disclaimer: With this article we do not intend to harm sentiments of any religion in India and elsewhere.

The facts that we are proud of India’s vast diversity & culture. At the same time, this diversity also brings in different rituals. Some of them are good and some of them are hard to believe. Sometimes I think that we give more preference to our rituals & customs that our minds. How strange the ritual is, we would blindly follow it. We confidently walk beyond the sphere of rational thinking.

Let’s have a look at some of the strangest & unusual rituals in India:

1. Bani Festival, Andhra Pradesh

Every year during Dussehra, hundreds of devotees gather at Devaragattu Temple (Kurnool district) with their lathis and hit each other till midnight. People are covered in Blood. The temple priest mentioned that this festival is been celebrated for over 100 years and every year people get injured in huge numbers.

269.12
Image Source

 

2. Puli Kali, Kerala

This is celebrated mainly in Thrissur district of Kerala. Painted in yellow, red and black trained artist celebrate this on the fourth day of Onam.

269.11
Image Source

 

3. Theemithi, Tamil Nadu

The festival is celebrated in honour of Draupati Amman. After the Battle of Kurukshetra, Draupadi walked across a bed of fire and emerged as fresh as a flower.  The festival is also celebrated in parts of Singapore & Sri Lanka in the months of October & November.

269.10
Image Source

 

4. Tossing infants – Maharashtra & Karnataka

This strange ritual of baby tossing is followed by both Hindus & Muslims.The baby is dropped from a height of 50 feet or more and caught in a sheet held by men. It is believed that this practice brings prosperity in the family.

269.9
Image Source

 

5. Thaipoosam, Tamil Nadu

Thaipoosam is a festival that honours Lord Murugan (Son of Shiva & Parvati) who receives lance to destroy the army of Tarkasura. During this festival, devotees pierce their bodies with hooks, skewers and lances to concentrate fully on the lord. This horrifying site is not for weak hearted.

269.8
Image Source

 

6. Jallikattu, Tamil Nadu

Jallikattu is celebrated during Pongal. Hundreds of men chase the bull and try to snatch the prize from it’s horns. It is so dangerous that over 200 people have been killed over last 20 years by playing this sport. The Supreme court banned this sport in May 2014.

269.7
Image Source

 

7. The Aghori way of Life, Benaras

Aghori means non-terrifying in Sanskrit. Their way to getting closer to god is different. They lives are completely dedicated to lord Shiva and believe everything is created by him and hence pure. This leads them to eat human remains after cremation and have intercourse with corpses.

269.6
Image Source

 

8. Animal Weddings

This practice is followed to appease the rain god. This practice is followed in villages of Assam, Maharashtra and Karnataka where frog weddings were also reported.

269.5
Image Source

 

9. Garudan Thookkam, Kerala

The ritual is celebrated when garuda, the vehicle of Lord Vishnu, quenched Goddess Kali’s thirst of blood by killing Darika. After the dance performance, people are hanged by hooks and taken around the city.

269.4
Image Source

 

10. Self-flagellation – The Mourning of Muharram

The Shia community every year march in massive parades every year on the Day of Ashura to commemorate the Battle of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Hussein by flogging  themselves.

269.3
Image Source

 

11. Exorcism by marriage – Human-Animal Weddings

The ritual act of driving out supposed evil spirits from persons who are possessed by them. When female children are born with a tooth or some type of deformity, it is believed that they possessed by ghosts. They are then married to a dog or any other animal to remove the spirits & bad omens.

269.2
Image Source

 

12. Ambubachi Mela, Guwahati

Each June the Goddess Sati goes through her menstruation cycle for 3 days. The Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati is shut during that period. Ambubachi Mela is held where red color is of prime importance. This mela attracts thousands of Sadhus, Yogis and Aghoris.

269.1
Image Source

You can follow us on facebook for more interesting stories.

Article inspired from lolwot

Comments

comments

Related Post

thynkfeed team
Disclaimer: If Something happens to you while laughing, please do not hold us responsible.  Kamaal R Khan (KRK) uploaded this pic on the

thynkfeed team
Google is the most crucial part in our daily lives. Every day we use Google hundreds of times. It can be for searching

thynkfeed team
With Sunder become the new CEO of Google as announced by Co-Founder Larry Page yesterday, a wave of congratulations started coming from everywhere
You can start editing here -- including this comment!

Leave a Reply