Stone pelting festival celebrated in Madhya Pradesh

Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh), Sep 29(ANI): Hundreds of people converged at Kaladev village in Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha district on the final day of Dussera to indulge in a traditional stone hurling festival.

Locals said that the festival has been derived from Ramayana, the epic depicting the story of Lord Rama, legend has it that Rama fought against Ravana to get his wife released from captivity.

In the festival, Kaladev villagers claim that they belong to the clan of Lord Rama, whereas the residents from nearby villages belong to the faction of Ravana.

The groups belonging to Ravana pelt stones at the clan of Rama and amazingly, none of them get hurt. Residents of Kaladev believe that the blessings of Lord Rama protect them from the stones.

"Locals belonging to the group of Ram are the residents of Kaladev. People who are experts in aiming, are called from various parts of the state, but even they fail to hit anyone belonging to Kaladev. It seems that the faith in Lord Ram protects us from the stones pelted towards us," said Vrindavan Vyas, a local of Kaladev village.

Interestingly, scores of curious minds make it to Kaladev for a glimpse of the two-hour stone pelting ritual battle. (ANI)