Buzz
India, a land steeped in mysticism and spirituality, is home to numerous local customs that serve as avenues for sharing religious beliefs. Deities, once confined to regional cults centuries ago, are now revered on a much larger scale.
As a result, devotees have incorporated a blend of rituals and practices, leading to the creation of unique, often strange, ways to show reverence to their chosen deities. Below are some of the most outlandish festivals that are celebrated with grandeur across India.
While some of these celebrations may make us raise an eyebrow, others will undoubtedly spark a desire to travel to India to experience the rich diversity of cultural traditions firsthand.
10. Puli Kali in Kerala
During the Puli Kali festival in Kerala, the streets come alive with thousands of people dressed as tigers, leaping and frolicking in the festivities. But don't worry—these tigers are harmless (hopefully)—they are devotees simply embodying the powerful animals.
The transformation into a tiger is an elaborate ritual. Male devotees meticulously coat their upper bodies in layers of paint, carefully designing the tiger's features, right down to the whiskers. The festival's name, meaning 'play of the tiger,' features a game of hide-and-seek between the tigers and men dressed as hunters, where the tigers try to escape the hunters' grasp.
This tradition is part of the Onam festival, which celebrates the harvest season. The origins of Puli Kali trace back several centuries to a local king who introduced this folk art, later continued by soldiers who danced to music in a style resembling the tiger's movements.
Indians have certainly proven their creativity in response to the threat to tigers by literally embodying these majestic creatures themselves.
9. Garudan Thookkam in Kerala
While most of us enjoy hanging out with friends, people in southern India take it to another level by hanging... from hooks. The Garudan Thookkam festival, which translates to 'Eagle Hanging,' involves participants suspending themselves from hooks in a fascinating display of devotion and courage.
In Hindu mythology, the Garuda is a humanoid creature known to be Lord Vishnu's mount. According to legend, to satisfy the endless thirst of goddess Kali, Vishnu sent Garuda to her. It is said that drinking the blood of a bleeding, life-sized dancing bird brought peace to her.
To celebrate this festival today, some people in Kerala dress as Garuda, adorning themselves with intricate headdresses and costumes while singing and dancing. After the performance, which continues through the night, the Garudas suspend themselves upside down from sharp hooks that pierce their bodies in a display of devotion.
These bloodied Garudas are then paraded around the city temple in a procession, seeking the blessings of the goddess. In some places, however, hooks are now attached not to the flesh but to a cloth tied around the waist. It seems like people have taken Mariah Carey’s lyrics, “fly like a bird, take to the sky,” a bit too literally.
8. Pushkar Fair in Rajasthan
Ever dream of having an exotic animal as a pet? Well, the people of this desert region are living that dream, and their beloved camels are cherished pets. The famous, annual Pushkar Fair in Rajasthan is a five-day cattle fair, the largest in Asia, and it coincides with the Hindu festival of Kartik Poornima, attracting many tourists.
This fair has earned its place here due to the unique activities that fill the festival schedule. Camel races may not be a common sight, but for the locals, it’s a familiar event. These humped beauties also patiently sit while being adorned with jewelry and ornaments, preparing for the beauty contests they will compete in.
Now, try to picture this without bursting into laughter: the camels are also part of a game of musical chairs! Among the men’s events, there are also competitions to determine whose mustache is the longest and who can tie the most elaborate turban.
7. Theyyam in Kerala
Move aside salsa, ballet, jazz, and hip-hop. The 'Dance of the Gods' has arrived. The dance performed during the Theyyam festival is more than just a tribute to the gods. Dancers are believed to be possessed by the spirits of gods and mystical beings as they perform.
Through the dancers, the gods are said to descend to Earth, interacting with the common people. During the performance, the dancers appear to enter a trance, becoming the Theyyam—an umbrella term for any immortal or mythical figure.
A striking feature of this event is the elaborate makeup and headdresses worn by the dancers. The bodies of the performers serve as blank canvases for artists who spend hours applying vibrant colors to transform them into living works of art.
Headgear is the most weighty, with some participants wearing bamboo crowns that stretch as high as 15–18 meters (50–60 ft). We might worry about the headaches that would follow, but then again, gods likely don't suffer from the minor ailments that affect mere mortals like us.
6. Lath Mar Holi in Barsana
This celebration is all about fun and is free from any severe rituals, promise! It’s a local variation of the Holi festival, the Hindu festival of colors. Combine truckloads of colors with endless laughter, music, and a pinch of tradition, and you get the lively festivities of Lath Mar Holi in Barsana, a small town near Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.
The tradition here includes women playfully hitting men and chasing them with lathis (sticks), but there’s no ill-will behind it. The story goes that Lord Krishna, the charming deity, visited Barsana and mischievously colored his beloved Radha’s face. This sparked the Holi celebrations that continue to this day in the town.
Unlucky men who can’t escape the grasp of the women are dressed in skirts and made to dance, all in the spirit of festivity. No Holi celebration in India is complete without a drink called thandai, which sometimes has intoxicating properties as it’s spiced with cannabis. It’s an experience that lifts the festive mood to greater heights, quite literally.
5. Dhinga Gavar in Jodhpur
Rajasthan is a land of the extraordinary and may very well be number one when it comes to celebrating the most unique festivals. In the city of Jodhpur, the Dhinga Gavar festival sees a large number of women participating, around whom the entire celebration centers.
The legend goes that Lord Shiva, known for his sense of humor, once disguised himself as a cobbler to tease his wife, Parvati. In retaliation, she appeared before him as a tribal woman. This playful exchange led to the creation of the Dhinga Gavar tradition, highlighting the comedic side of Shiva’s consort.
The women in this festival don elaborate costumes ranging from dacoits to queens, kings, police officers, and sages. It’s a major event because these women hire makeup artists and rent elaborate costumes well in advance. After sunset, they patrol the streets, with men trying to get in their way to receive a good beating.
Who would willingly want to be hit with sticks? The men of Jodhpur do, believing that if an unmarried man is struck by these female impersonators, he will soon marry the woman of his dreams. Gentlemen, are you ready to test this theory out?
4. Agni Keli in Mangalore
The bright, mesmerizing flames of fire are often best admired from a safe distance, but in Mangalore, the locals experience these flames up close during the eight-day festival at the Kateel Durga Parameshwari Temple.
On the second night of the festival, male devotees gather at the temple and hurl palm stalks at each other. To make it even more daring, these palm fronds are set ablaze before being thrown. While this tradition might sound risky, it is part of an age-old ritual to honor the goddess Durga.
The participants, dressed only in the lower half of their bodies, are split into two teams, and each team attempts to ignite the other’s members. You might find it reassuring (in a way) to know that each person only gets five throws, and the entire fiery exchange lasts a mere 15 minutes. Phew!
3. Karni Mata Festival in Rajasthan
Most people aren’t particularly fond of rats due to their association with disease, their tendency to bite, and their overall unappealing nature. However, the residents of Deshnoke in Rajasthan seem to overlook these concerns.
The Karni Mata Temple here is also referred to as the Temple of Rats. This 600-year-old sacred site is home to nearly 20,000 rats that scurry around freely and are highly respected.
There are various versions of the tale behind this temple. Karni Mata was believed to be an incarnation of the goddess Durga. In one story, when the son of one of her storytellers passed away, she asked the god of death to revive him. When her plea was denied, she took matters into her own hands and reincarnated him (along with other storytellers) as rats to live in the temple and serve her eternally.
You can bet the boy probably thought being a rat was worse than staying dead! The greatest honor a devotee can receive is to eat the food that the rats have nibbled on. Bonus blessings go to those who spot the rare white rats that make occasional appearances.
2. Banni FestivalAndhra Pradesh
It may look like a life-or-death battle to an outsider, but this ancient tradition holds deep significance for the locals.
The ritual takes place in a dramatic setting, at midnight, with the Devaragattu temple in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh as the backdrop. Every year, on the night of Dussehra (the 10-day Hindu festival celebrating the return of Lord Rama), a large group of devotees gathers, each armed with a sturdy stick.
These men, engaged in the ritual, strike each other with their sticks as the procession moves forward, carrying the idols of Hindu gods Parvati and Shiva. By the time the ritual concludes at dawn, the scene looks like something straight out of the movie Kill Bill.
Although medical teams and doctors are present, their role is mostly limited to observation. The people of Andhra get off relatively easy today compared to the past, when axes and spears were wielded instead of sticks in this once-bloodier tradition.
1. Kaya Klesh
For most of us, our hair is one of our most cherished features, spending countless hours in its care. Ever had that heart-stopping moment when your comb pulls out clumps of hair? Then you might find the Kaya Klesh ritual, practiced by Jain monks, particularly unsettling.
To avoid the sorrow of losing hair, the Jains came up with a solution: no hair means no loss. As part of their 36 vows, Jain monks practice kaya klesh, or kesh lochan, which involves pulling out each hair from their scalp, one by one, by hand.
This ritual is performed at least once or twice a year when the monks' hair has regrown. In Jain philosophy, hair is believed to symbolize illusion and attachment, which one must detach from to achieve liberation. The ritual also serves to teach the monks how to endure pain.
To prevent any injury, the scalp is first coated with dried cow dung ash before the hair-plucking process begins.
