Dhami is a remote village in the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh in north India where stone pelting is not considered an offence.
Instead, it is observed as a festival in that village some 25 kilometres from the state capital Shimla.
On Tuesday, the festival ‘Patharon ka Khel” was observed when hundreds of locals gathered to join the merriment.
Of course, for some, the joy turned into pain when they got themselves hurt by the flying missiles hurled by two teams on opposite sides.
Old timers do not remember the exact date of origin of the rural festival but say that it has been carried for centuries. According to them, the objective of the traditional stone pelting festival is to show the victory of good over evil.
Locals say that, according to legend, the ritual originated in the 18th century when human beings were sacrificed to appease Goddess Bhadrakali. However, human sacrifice was later stopped and a “tilak” of blood was applied on the statue of the goddess after the stone pelting festival.
The annual stone festival starts with a procession taken out from a temple in Dhami village. People from the erstwhile Dhami princely estate get divided into two groups to participate in the festival. They line up along the road and pelt stones at each other till at least one of the participants get hurt and blood oozes out of his wound. Finally, the blood is applied as ‘tilak’ on the goddess and the contest ends.
The ritual has been traditionally carried on by the Khunds (warriors) only and no outsider is allowed to join the auspicious festival.
