Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): The residents of Bhidawad, a remote village in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district, practice an age-old annual ritual wherein they allow hundreds of cows to run over them two days after observing the festival of Diwali to express gratitude to the 'almighty'.
Driven by deep faith, people take part in this daredevil act with great enthusiasm and thousands gather to witness this strange ritual.
A day after Diwali, the villagers offer prayers at a temple and stay there for the entire night as a part of the ritual. On the second day, cows are driven over the devotees who lay their faces down on the ground.
"It is an age-old ritual. Before this ritual, villagers fast for five days and later this ritual takes place with great enthusiasm. Hundreds of cows are brought here to for this tradition," said Mahesh Agarwal, a villager.
"People here believe that their wishes will come true if they lay down and cows are driven over them. They believe that over 30 crore lords reside inside a cow and they would bless them when the cows run over the people," he added.'
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Villagers including men, women, and children dance to the beats of the drum and other musical instruments during the ritual.
"This ritual is known as Gauri Puja. People's wishes do come true if they participate in this ritual. Cows from across the village are gathered for this tradition. People get so excited to become a part of this tradition and lay down on the road," said another villager.
Lakhan Singh Yadav, Minister of Animal Husbandry told ETV Bharat, "Many places in India practice this ritual, but I against it. People often get injured while taking part in this act."
- Note: ETV Bharat doesn't promote/endorse any such superstition
