11 Indian Customs And Rituals That'll Make Your Jaw Drop To The Floor

India is a land with a lot of traditions and rituals. And a rich culture sometimes means weird and crazy cults that have their own rituals. While some of these seem downright scary, some will have your jaw on the floor.

1. Cannibalism - Aghoris

The cannibalistic Aghoris are a very famous sect in India. They are cult followers of Lord Shiva and believe that everything nature provides can be consumed. They are one of the most well known cannibalistic tribes in India. They live near crematories or rivers where the dead are disposed. It is not uncommon to find an Aghori dragging a corpse from a river, meditating on it and then tearing it apart limb by limb, devouring each limb raw. They also use human bones and the skull as vessels - to drink from or to eat with.

Wikipedia

2. Veni Daan - Allahabad

This is a weird ritual practised by Hindu couples residing in Allahabad and Maharashtra. During a Hindu wedding, the husband and wife promise to spend not just one, but 7 lifetimes together. This promise is further strengthened by the Veni Daan ritual. According to this ritual, there is a big celebration and puja held at the Triveni Sangam in Allahabad. All the ceremonies performed during the wedding are carried out again. For the ceremony, the wife dresses up in traditional attire and ties her hair back in a plait. Once the ceremony is over, the wife sits on the husband's lap and he cuts off a tuft of hair from her plait. The hair is then offered to the river. The family's prosperity and happiness is ensured by this ritual.

Flickr

3. Baby tossing - Maharashtra and Karnataka

One of the most terrifying rituals performed in parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka is the baby tossing ritual. The ritual, that takes place in December, involves the father scaling the temple stairs/walls with his baby in hand or tied behind his back. Once he reaches the top, the new-born is handed over to men standing at the top of the temple. The men swing the baby back and forth once or twice and then suddenly drop it 10-15 meters towards the ground. Another group of men wait on the ground holding blankets. As the baby falls on the blanket, it is allowed to bounce once and then immediately picked up and handed to the mother. This ritual is said to make babies stronger and healthier. Around 200 babies are tossed every year and the babies must strictly be less than 2 years old to be tossed.

Youtube Title : Raw Video: Baby Tossing in India.

4. Dhinga Gavar - Jodhpur

Dhinga Gavar is an extension of the famous Rajasthani Gangaur festival although it is celebrated only in Jodhpur. The functions commence post sunset and happen at only 11 locations in the city. The Dhinga Gavar (another name for Parvati, Shiva's consort) statues are dressed in Rajasthani attire and laden with gold ornaments. The deity is then offered cannabis and dry-fruits. On this evening, the women dress up in weird attires (anything from priests to dacoits or politicians - whatever catches their fancy) and parade the streets with a long stick in hand. If any man comes near the patrolling women, he is hit with the stick. It is believed that getting hit by the stick of the women will bring prosperity in a married man's life. If the man is unmarried, it will speed things up in the marriage department. Thus, many bachelors deliberately visit the women and get hit with the stick so they get married soon!

Wikipedia

5. Aadi Festival - Tamil Nadu

Legend has it that during the British era, the colonisers wanted to construct a railway track through the temple which would result in the demolition of the temple and so, the villagers were against it. During the construction of the temple, 187 coconut-shaped stones had been retrieved from the river near the temple. The Britishers, to challenge the locals, asked them to break all the stones over their head and the railway-line would not be built. The villagers miraculously succeeded. Since that day, during the Aadi festival, hundreds of people line up outside the temple where the priests break the coconuts over their heads! The practice has been continued despite grave medical injuries and warnings from doctors.

Catersnews

6. Baby dunked in boiling water - Bijalapur

The inhumane custom is carried out in Bijalapur district of Karnataka where 3-month-old babies are dunked in boiling hot water. The baby is lifted immediately but does sustain severe burns. The ritual is to thank the deities and the priest for blessing the home with a child.

Mama - Image used for representational purposes only

7. Thimithi - Tamil Nadu

Thimithi festival is celebrated in Tamil Nadu, in honour of Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas. Legend has it that after the Mahabharata war (which was mainly fought by the Pandavas to avenge the insult the Kauravas had heaped on Draupadi), Draupadi walked through a bed of fire and emerged unscathed on the other side, thus proving her purity despite having 5 husbands. The festival entails the men of Tamil Nadu walking over a bed of burning coals. The walkers are not allowed to run across but have to take each step slowly. Sometimes, the devotees fall while walking causing burns to other body parts too. The festival is celebrated in other countries like Sri Lanka, Singapore, South Africa, Malaysia and Mauritius.

ospace -Image used for representational purpose only

8. Cattle Trampling - Ujjain, Bhopal

On the day of Ekadashi, celebrated one day after Diwali, in Ujjain and Bhopal, there is a huge celebration. As part of the ritual, the villagers dress up their cattle and decorate the bulls and cows with henna and paints. The villagers then garland themselves and lie flat, belly-side down on the ground. The cattle is then let loose and allowed to trample over the villagers. The villagers keep chanting their wishes while the cattle trample them. This ritual is said to help fulfill their desires and bring prosperity to the village.

Youtube Title : People Trampled By Cow Stampede

9. Made Snana - South India

Temples in most parts of South India serve food or prasadam on traditional plantain leaves. The food is eaten seated cross-legged on the ground. In the Made Snana tradition, the devotees finish eating the food and then lie on the ground and roll over the plantain leaves still containing the left-overs from the food. This practice is said to relieve the devotees of health issues and help them get healthier.

Granada Blogs

10. Burying children in sand - Karnataka

In an extremely bizarre ritual, children with physical disabilities and certain handicaps are buried in the sand up to their necks on the day of the solar eclipse. Before sunrise, pits deep enough to fully cover the children are dug out. The children are placed inside the pit from anywhere between an hour to 6 hours! The "treatment" is said to cure the children of all their disabilities.

Ghumakkar Chronicles Wordpress - Image used for representational purposes only

11. Lath Maar Holi - UP

Lath Mar Holi is a part of Holi which is celebrated in the town of Barsana (town of Radha) near Mathura. It is said that Krishna would visit Radha in her village and the gopis or the women of the village would chase him away. Since then, village tradition has it that on Holi, the men from Nandgaon visit Barsana and the women beat up the men with sticks. There is no restriction and sometimes, men sustain grave injuries on their heads. In modern times, the men participating in the festival often use shields over their heads to protect themselves.

Youtube Title : Holi Songs and Latthamaar Holi at Barsana (Mathura) Sameer Verma

There are many other rituals like self flagellation, piercing body parts, hanging by hooks, frog marriages, etc that are practiced. While some of these rituals capture the fun of the era gone by, some are plain tragic!

Know of any other such rituals practised in your village or area? Let us know in comments!