In pics: A temple in Andhra Pradesh where devotees go to kill or be killed | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

In pics: A temple in Andhra Pradesh where devotees go to kill or be killed

Hindustan Times | ByPrasad Nichenametla, Hyderabad
Oct 06, 2014 09:05 PM IST

Every Dussehra night, the Devaragattu temple in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh witnesses frenzy where hundreds of men wielding long sticks (lathis) hit each other on heads.

There is a temple in Andhra Pradesh where devotees go all equipped to kill or be killed. Every Dussehra night, the Devaragattu temple in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh witnesses frenzy where hundreds of men wielding long sticks (lathis) hit each other on heads.

The event, called Banni festival, at the temple located near the Andhra-Karnataka border, draws people from both states in huge numbers. The ritual takes place at midnight when the procession idols of the ruling deities Malamma (Parvati) and Malleshwara Swamy (Shiva) are brought down the hill temple at Neraneki.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Men, mostly farmers, do not budge even as their white shirts are drenched red with blood and the “victory parade” to commemorate the killing of a demon by Mala-Malleshwara continues till the break of dawn.



A scene from the Banni festival. HT photo

Medical teams are deployed and doctors ready to stitch heads but many just smear turmeric on the wound and go about the business.

Temple authorities refute any suggestion of violence in the whole episode.

“It is like dandiya only that we use large sticks. Devotees are charged at that time and in the swirling of the sticks some get hurt,” Ramkumar Shastri, a priest at the temple tells HT. “In olden days, it used to be axes, spears etc.”

The ritual in the region once under the Vijayanagara Empire is said to be centuries old and according to a local police official, has one hundred years of recorded history.





Banni festival. HT photo

The records though do not show many deaths. According to the district police 113 were injured in 2012, 34 in 2013. On Friday night, 56 were injured. A man was killed in 2006 but police say it was a revenge killing committed with the ritual as a cover-up.

Kurnool SP Ake Ravikrishna says that they conduct awareness camps, clampdown on arrack sale and bind over the anti-social elements but on the Dussehra night, about 1,000 police personnel at the venue are mostly limited to the audience as the sentiments and tempers run high.

Here are some more pictures from the festival:











Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal Arrest Live Updates, Bihar Board 12th Result Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On