Gore Habba – Cow Shit Fight Festival

Gorehabba is a one-day village festival in southern India during which people throw cow dung at each other to pay tribute to the deity Beereshwara Swamy - the local god believed to be born from cow dung.

The program of this unusual "birthday party" is simple: villagers collect fresh dung, haul it to the temple on tractors, have a priest bless it, and then the battle begins - handfuls flung like snowballs for one to two hours.

To most of the world, the whole ritual might look strange. But in Hindu belief, cow dung is sacred and purifying, so being covered in it is considered a blessing. On top of that, locals say the mess brings good health.

Google Maps location of the main event activities can be found here.

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