Why this village's residents throw cow dung to end Diwali
What's the story
After Diwali, the villagers of Thalavadi in Tamil Nadu's Erode district have a unique way of concluding the celebrations.
For the last 300 years, villagers have been celebrating a cattle dung flinging festival on the fourth day after Diwali.
The bizarre tradition is part of the Beereswarar temple festival and is believed to bring agricultural prosperity.
Festival significance
Rituals and beliefs surrounding the dung flinging festival
The festival starts with villagers collecting cattle dung from all over Thalavadi.
The dung is then dumped into a pit, which has served as natural compost for centuries.
After a ceremonial ritual at the Beereswarar temple tank, villagers leap into this pit and begin flinging dung at each other.
The act is rooted in the belief that a shivling was once found in this very pit.
Fertilizer distribution
Agricultural benefits and similar traditions in neighboring villages
After the dung flinging ritual, the dung is distributed among villagers to be used as fertilizer for their crops. They believe this practice enriches their agricultural yield for the year.
A similar tradition is observed in Gumatapura village, on the border of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Called "Gorehabba," this cow dung fight also marks the end of Diwali annually and is reportedly over a hundred years old.