Shimla, October 28: A day after celebrating Diwali, a village nearly 40 kilometres from Shimla organises a stone-pelting fair. Every year, Dhami village follows a century-old tradition, where the two clans of the village throw stones relentlessly on each other. Thousands of people from different villages participate in the fair of stone-throwing. Uttarakhand: Annual Stone-Pelting Festival Held In Champawat Leaves 120 Injured.

The historic fair is observed on next day of Dipavali. The procession begins from the temple built by the former King of Dhami and people from two local communities gather at the venue and pelt stone at each other. The ritual also sees participation by the royal family of Dhami.

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Why Stone Pelting Festival is Celebrated at Dhami Village?

According to local belief, the erstwhile queen of the village gave her life to end the practice of human sacrifice. She had asked the people to start a fair, where two clans would throw stones in the sky until someone is hit, and the blood of that person is offered to Goddess Kali.

According to villagers, the festival is nearly 400 years old. Reportedly, the royal dynasty of Dhami has its roots attached with King Prithviraj Chauhan of Rajasthan's Ajmer. Meanwhile, the ritual, which is quite dangerous, has not been banned by the district administration.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 28, 2019 11:43 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).