India has always been a mysterious place that has attracted people from all over the world to explore this unfathomable wonderland. There are so many occult and occult things that are practiced in India and it is hard to believe. Some traditions are so strange that they will give you goosebumps. So, if you’re up for an adventure and thrill-filled experience on your India vacation, there are some offbeat destinations you should explore. So, book your tickets to India and get going.
throwing baby
The Solapur region of Maharashtra, India has this uneasy habit of giving their children a long and healthy life. Parents drop their babies from the top of a tower, about 50 feet high. The people below catch the falling babies on a sheet. It is a common belief that such a practice will cure your children of ailments, if any, today and also in the future. This is mainly done by Muslims and some Hindu families as well. Security services are also provided by the local authorities in the area during this strange practice.
The Aghori Sadhu sect
The Aghoris are members of the Hindu sect who have always been of great interest and suspicion in the people. These Aghoris worship Lord Shiva, remain naked, reside in cremation grounds, drink alcohol, and eat meat from corpses. They often cover themselves with ashes and perform strange rituals and meditations using corpses.
Shoe Stealing Ritual (Juta Churai Rasam)
This is a fun-filled ritual in Hindus, often shown in Bollywood movies as well. In fact, it’s a fun activity that allows the bride’s sisters to steal the groom’s shoes while he performs traditional marriage rituals. The groom’s cousins and friends try to protect the shoes from theft, but if the girls are successful in their mission, they are given custody of the shoes when given the desired ransom amount.
Dhinga Gavar Festival
It is a festival celebrated in Jodhpur, in the state of Rajasthan in India. Dhinga literally means getting fun from cheating. Dhingar Gavar is a popular deity. Legend has it that Lord Shiva once disguised himself as a cobbler and came to mock his consort Parvati. Parvati also dressed up as ‘bhil’, tribal women, and appeared before Shiva to join in the fun. The Dhinga gawar performance starts on the evening of the day after Holi every year. Dhinga gawar statues are placed in 11 vital places. The statues are decorated in the Rajasthani tradition and decorated with gold jewelery weighing between 5 and 30 kg.
Muharram mourning
To honor the death of Husayn ibn Ali (grandson of Muhammad), certain groups of the Shia sect of Muslims walk through the streets in groups and whip each other with chains that have knives and razors. Some of them even cut their heads open with knives. This peculiar ritual is called ‘matam’ and some families even encourage children to do it. Not all Muslims support this practice. Some also condemn it.
Human-Animal Marriage
It is believed in some parts of India that ghosts capture the bodies of some people. Girls born with an erupted tooth or girls with facial deformities are believed to have been possessed by ghosts. The exorcism of the victims is done by marrying them to an animal such as a goat or a dog. The wedding is carried out with all the pomp and show, although the good thing is that the copulation is exempt and the girl can remarry after the ghost relieves her. I wonder what parameter they do that analysis on.
Lathmar Holi
Holi is the second largest festival in India after Diwali. Lath Mar Holi is a local celebration that takes place before the actual Holi in Barsana, a town near Mathura, which is the birthplace of Lord Krishna. According to local legend, Krishna visited her beloved Radha’s village Barsana, where he and her friends mocked her and her friends. To retaliate, the ladies invited Krishna and his friends to Barsana on Holi and beat them with sticks and explained that it is an obligatory ritual. Since then, the ritual is held in the same places and people from Mathura and Vrindavan play Lath Mar Holi by shouting Jai Shree Radha and Jai Shree Krishna.
Weapon worship in Navratri
Navratri is a famous festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity, Durga. Navratri literally means nine nights symbolizing nine forms of Shakti/Devi/Goddess which are worshiped with great reverence and rituals in various parts of India and in some parts weapons and tools are worshipped.
Varuna Yajna (Hindu God of Rain)
Agriculture is the main sector in India on which the Indian economy depends and agriculture directly depends on the monsoon rains. If the monsoon fails, the country’s farmers and economy suffer greatly. Sometimes little or no rain is the reason farmers commit suicide. Such is the importance of rains for India. As we know India has 330 million Gods and Goddesses, there is also a Rain God, Lord Varuna. Whenever the monsoon fails or weakens, Varun Yajna is performed to please the Rain God. During the performance of such a Yajna, the Hindu priests sit inside the barrels filled with water and perform special prayers to please the Rain God.
