Watch: About 100 people were injured at a ritual stone-throwing festival in Uttarakhand

A festival named Bagwal is observed at the Devidhura temple in Champawat district of Uttarakhand in the most bizarre way. Participants throw stones at one another, apparently with the specific intent of drawing blood in a bid to please the deity at the temple – or that, at least, is what the local lore says.

In 2019 too, the festival was enacted on the day of Raksha Bandhan, complete with arrangements for self-defence in the form of shields and for first-aid. According to a PTI report, about 100 people were injured this year.

The same report quoted BC Joshi, head priest of the temple, to state that there used to be a tradition of human sacrifice here.