Pithoragarh: At least 75 people suffered injuries because of worshipers at Devidhura Temple in Champukat Uttarakhand District who took care of the rocks with each other for eight minutes to celebrate the annual ‘Bagwal’ festival.
What was injured was then treated in a medical camp.
The festival was celebrated on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan and the blood was shown to calm the god of chairman, Barahi Devi.
Four local clans – Walik, Chamyal, Lambaria and Gaherwal – participate in rituals on the reasons of the temple every year.
In 2013, the Uttarakhand High Court had ordered that this festival was celebrated with fruits and flowers, not stone.
The instructions have been largely ignored by locals who believe that the lack of “blood sacrifice” in God will invite disasters.
“We started bagwal with fruits and had instructed worshipers not to use stones, but they survived because of their strong belief in this matter,” said members of the Temple Committee.
According to folklore, when Satan attacked Devidhura, the four clans prayed to Dewi to save them.
He agreed, but asked for human sacrifice every year in return.
Then, Dewi showed mercy and told the clan that they could throw stones with each other to spill blood equal to human sacrifice.
As a result, a large number of people are finally hurt during celebrations every year.
In 2019, more than 120 people were injured while the number 60 of 2018.
Last year, a strict covid-related limitation meant that this festival was mostly “symbolic”.
This year, too, the Covid protocol was followed during the celebration, Anil Garval said, the Lohaghat sub-division judge.
“All participants must produce Covid-19 negative reports.
Camps were held near the temple on August 20 and 21 to facilitate Covid testing,” he said.
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