Description
Added on the 10/04/2016 16:17:10 - Copyright : Euronews EN
One Hindu religious holiday takes the phrase 'fighting fire with fire' to a whole other level. Hundreds of Hindu devotees gathered to celebrate Agni Keli, also known as the 'fire fight' in the Indian city of Kateel on Thursday, by throwing burning palm fronds at one another in order to appease Hindu goddess Durga. The annual eight-day celebration takes place every April at the Kateel Durga Parameswari Temple. Devotees split into two groups and face off from a distance of between 30 to 50 feet. The fiery action attracts thousands of spectators, who watch as the torch-wielding men try to set each other ablaze. Each participant only gets 5 palm fronds to throw, so the entire spectacle lasts only about 15 minutes. If any of the worshippers does suffer any burns, they are immediately sprayed with the holy waters of Kumkumarchane. The Hindu goddess Durga, also known as Devi and Shakti, is the goddess of war whose main aim is to fight the demonic forces which threaten the innocent, punishing those who commit injustice. The fronds of Agni Keli are thought to symbolize the righteous anger of Durga and her battle against evil.
Tens of thousands of devotees converge on the northern town of Ayodhya ahead of the consecration of a controversial Hindu temple that embodies the triumph of Indian PM Modi's muscular Hindu nationalist politics. IMAGES
India is a very colorful land full of rich history, and, of course, full of religious traditions that many of us may find difficult to understand. The Aadi Perukku ritual, in which worshippers sat on the ground while priests smashed coconuts over their head, is perhaps one of the most unusual. Over 1,000 devotees had coconuts smashed over their heads at the annual Hindu-Tamil festival of Aadi Perukku in Mettu Mahadanapuram on Wednesday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits the Hindu temple ravaged by a massive fire in Kerala state. Nathan Frandino reports.
People gather outside the Hamdaniyah general hospital where wounded and dead victims have been taken after a fire broke out during a wedding at an event hall in the northern Iraqi town of Al-Hamdaniyah, leaving 100 dead and more than 150 injured according to state media. IMAGES
At least nine people were killed Saturday after a train coach parked in southern India caught fire when a passenger tried to make tea, officials said. The coach, which had been detached from a train, was stationed at the Madurai railway yard in the southern state of Tamil Nadu when the fire broke out before dawn. Local media reports said the passengers had illegally smuggled aboard a gas cylinder which exploded when they tried to use it. IMAGES