TN: In unique ritual, devotees break coconuts on their heads

Kurumbar ethnic people in Tiruchirappalli District of Tamil Nadu practice the ritual of breaking coconuts on their heads. It is believed that doing so brings good health and success.

Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu):India has been following rituals for centuries with countless cultures, traditions, ethnic and tribal groups scattered across the country. It is highly a heterogeneous society with so many contrasting groups.

One of the quaint rituals prevalent in the southern parts of India, particularly in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu, is breaking of a coconut on human heads!

This practice was recently seen at Mondipatty Village in Tiruchirappalli District of Tamil Nadu where Kurumbar ethnic people vowed to god by breaking coconuts on their heads.

Kurumbar ethnic people are a designated scheduled tribe in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

The strange ritual has been around for a long time and involves smashing of a coconut on the head of a devotee. It is believed that doing so brings good health and success.

In a chosen place preferably in a temple, devotees gather around the Pujari who smashes a coconut on their skull.

The ritual is followed in certain parts of Tiruchirappalli, Karur, Coimbatore and Madurai districts in Tamil Nadu.