Dhar (Madhya Pradesh): Believing strongly in their superstition to appease rain god, villagers of Khiledi village under Badnawar tehsil of Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district, took out a 'fake funeral' procession of a living man on Friday.
The ceremony began as all 5 families of the village organised a communal outdoor kitchen, offered laddu - churma and other sweets to rain deity, and dined under the open sky.
The local Hanuman temple's priest performed sacred religious rituals and chanted Vedic mantras.
Following the rituals, a funeral procession of a living man, accompanied by DJ, traversed the main streets of the town. The procession saw participation of a large number of villagers.
The traditional funeral bier was stopped at each temple for blessings. Interestingly, a man with an animal mask on his face, seated backwards on a donkey, led the funeral procession.
Moreover, village's patel performed kakad puja ceremony, while men and women crawled on their stomachs as part of their ritual. The procession culminated at a cremation ground where villagers burned the ritual items on the funeral bier.
Be it the power of villager's belief in traditional superstition rituals or just a coincidence, it rained heavily on Friday night. The rain spell continued on Saturday morning as well. Villagers expressed immense happiness as their efforts were finally paid off.
