Weird Religious Festival: Cracking Coconuts on One’s Head

Some religious rituals are so bizarre that they leave you scratching your head. This one, however, may lead to a cracked skull. Literally. Here’s the strange practice of cracking a coconut on devotees of Goddess Lakshmi – and it may just be the fault of the British imperialism:

Many of the visitors believe that it was the British presence in India in the 19th Century that spawned the idea for the festival.

A former village council president tells the story.

P. Mani, Former Council President, Mettu Mahadanapuram Village: "When the British were trying to draw a railway line against the wishes of the villagers here, they found big stones just like coconuts, beneath the ground. They sarcastically told villagers that if they could break these stones with their heads, they would change the course of the railway line. The villagers broke the stones and the line was shifted."

Some of the locals say since then the ritual has been performed at the temple using coconuts, and that these rituals draw thousands.

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