Bani festival: Celebrating Dusshera with stick fights!
Dusshera is celebrated across India in many different ways. The most common way you would have heard and seen is that on the day of Dusshera, you burn the effigy of Ravana to mark the victory of good over evil. However, in Andhra Pradesh devotees have their own unique way of celebrating this festival. They fight to kill or get killed with sticks. Literally. This festival is called Devaragattu Dasara or Bani festival.
Bani festival is a ritual held by the Devaragattu temple in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh during Dusshera. It starts on the night of Dusshera when the idols of the ruling deities Goddess Malama (Parvati) and Malla Malleshwara (Lord Shiva’s incarnation) are brought down in a procession to the hill temple at Neranki, 4 km away. The temple is located near the Andhra-Karnataka border and draws people from both states in huge numbers.
Kill or get killed: The stick fight
This is the weirdest part of the ritual. The villages in Kurnool divide themselves into groups and take part in a ritualistic stick fight. After performing prayers and 'kalyanam' at the temple, devotees carry the deities inside a thick cloth bag on the shoulders down the hill. Few of the devotees create a ring of security around the idols. As they come down, thousands of lathi-wielding people from the rival group, make a bid to stop the procession from going forward and a bloody battle breaks out. The stick fight between both the groups continues down the hill while these villagers who are generally farmers, walk in a procession with their shirts drenched in blood! The procession continues till dawn with various artistic performances by artists, dancers, singers, and composers happening alongside eventually creating a phenomenal journey.
After the procession reaches down, puja is performed and the temple priest slits his thigh to offer a fistful of blood to the deity. Another fierce round of stick fight takes place and the deity of the Lord is then placed at Simhasana katta marking the end of the Bani festival.
The relevance
But what is the significance of this bloodbath? Well, according to the villagers, the procession represents the “victory parade” to commemorate the killing of demons Mani and Mallasura (who used to trouble noblemen and saints in the Devaragattu region) by Malla Malleshwara. The message of the whole ritual is clear: The victory of good over evil.
But what about those who get injured? Well, the medical team is ready but many just apply turmeric on their wounds and go on with their celebration taking it as Gods offering. According to the devotees and temple authorities, the ritual is just like playing “dandiya” – only the sticks are larger and stronger.
Origin of the ritual
Where does this violent practice find its origin? The ritual is believed to be centuries old when the region was under the Vijayanagar empire. At that time, it was even more dangerous; axes and spears were used for the fight.