Dhami (Himachal Pradesh): India is a country of unique traditions and beliefs. Patharon ka mela or stone pelting festival, celebrated a day after Diwali festivities end in Himachal Pradesh is a perfect example.
Scores of residents from far flung areas in the hilly state congregate in Dhami to follow the age-old tradition and throw stones at each other.
Legend has it that the festival is held to mark the death of a woman by Sati, a Hindu ritual where a woman burns herself on the pyre of her husband.
It is also believed that Dhami, a village 20 miles from Shimla, is the place where human sacrifices took place in Himachal Pradesh but was ended by the then king and replaced it with the ritual of stone pelting.
In the festival, youth from Halog, erstwhile capital of Dhami, and neighbouring Jamog are divided into two groups, who pelt stones at each other.
But the fair only ends when a person bleeds and is considered as honoured or the chosen one. His blood is later on smeared on the forehead of goddess Kali, the festival's main deity.
"The blood of the injured is smeared on the idol of goddess Kali where the human sacrifice used to take place. But he is cured immediately," said Raj Singh Kanwar, a 90-year-old villager.
After the festivities end, villagers also pay respects to a local deity, revered by most of the residents of Dhami.
Despite high chances of injuries participants are enthusiastic about it, "Nobody has ever been seriously hurt. We believe it is the deity's wishes that are with us," said Hem Singh Thakur, another resident and a participant in the festival.
Inspite of the enthusiasm police and local administration always prepare themselves and set up makeshift medical camps to treat the injured.
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