'Festival of stone pelting'
Indian Express , Shimla , India.
An age-old tradition of pelting small stones at each other and smearing a 'tilak' on the forehead of Goddess Kali with the blood of the injured was held in this village, once the favourite hunting ground of the British.
Old-timers say in the 18th-century 'Patharon ka Mela' (festival of stones) male adults from Halog, the erstwhile capital of Dhami estate, and neighbouring village Jamog gathered here, 22 km from Shimla, and pelted small stones at each other.
They say getting injured is considered auspicious. This ritual began when human sacrifice to appease Goddess Kali was stopped by the erstwhile rulers of Dhami.
"Over 50 youths from both the villages participated in the ritual that lasted for not more than half an hour. The blood of the wounded was applied as a 'tilak' to the 'devi'," octogenarian Dharminder Singh told IANS.
According to the tradition, the stone pelting exercise takes place only between the residents of Halog and Jamog.
In this ritual, members of the royal family of the erstwhile princely state stood on one side, facing the villagers.
The locals, dressed in a new attire, lined the grassy slopes and pelted stones at the royal family members after the arrival of the deity of Nara Singh temple, housed in Dhami's palace, at the Kali Devi temple in the village.
Thousands of locals from neighbouring villages gathered here to witness the 'Patharon ka Mela'.
"On this day, we buy farm implements, which ensures round-the-year prosperity," said Reshma Devi, an octogenarian residing in Halog.
Earlier, the traders used to bring only farm implements, livestock and dry fruits to mark the ocassion. Now multinational companies come here every year to sell electronic goods, modern gadgets and luxury items, she added.
The local administration has been discouraging the villagers from participating in the ritual. It had set up makeshift medical camps to treat the injured.
Human rights activists have also sought a ban saying it amounted to cruelty against humans.
i find it fascinating. it's the time for the ordinary people to get their revenge at the ruling class. i wish i could do that. it is definitely a much better replacement to the human sacrifice ritual they previously practiced.
unfortunately, it has fallen prey to commercialization the way most traditions do these days.
rituals, traditions and even superstitions actually make sense if you study them. makes human beings much more interesting as a species and adds color to life on earth. i want to be an anthropologist. too bad there's no money in it.
A cultural events day for them .
Brit, Fine, let them take life easy...throw stones at each other. How does it matter if someone loses one of his eyes..One shouldn't take life so seriously after all.
Knight Returns: I agree with you in principle, but we must also be careful not to take life too seriously. There are tomato fight rituals, cheese rolling rituals and mud fighting etc.
When I see people giving so much importance to rituals and traditions, it reminds me again that humans are after all 98% apes...we do things what people around us do, without thinking if they made sense.
It is a traditional ritual. Let it run as long as it does not hurt, maim or kill anybody.
Multinational companies will find chance to sell defective & outdated products in those situations.
Kullu majnoon...Mukht Maafi
TFS, It's not easy to stop the traditional festivites ....... Tue, 05.11.2013 , 07.48 hrs ...
Hi, Folks, It is a strange world out there .