What is Devaragattu Dussehra? The Vijayadashami festival where devotees have a traditional stick fight

Why thousands gather every Dussehra to celebrate the Banni festival with blood and faith

A clash of sticks and faith: How Devaragattu celebrates the Banni festival every midnight of Dussehra

Banni festival: Inside the ancient stick-fighting ritual of Devaragattu

Updated on:

19 Sep 2026, 8:25 am

2 min read

Every Dussehra, a serene hillside in Andhra Pradesh witnesses a battle between belief and competition. Thousands of pilgrims assemble at the Devaragattu temple located in the district of Kurnool to participate in the age-old custom of Banni. With the striking of midnight, men shed blood on the holy land while wielding heavy sticks.

The sacred origin and fierce battle of the Banni festival

Banni festival is celebrated to honour Mala-Malleshwara, aka Lord Shiva, who killed a demon to save the area. This rite takes place immediately after midnight on the day of Dussehra in Devaragattu, on top of a hill. In the temple, the marriage of Malamma and Malleswara Swamy takes place. After the completion of the ceremony, people take the idols out in a procession.

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For the protection of these sacred idols, people from ten villages in the nearby areas fight each other in two separate groups. One group consists of people from Neraniki, Neraniki Thanda, and Kothapeta. The other group is composed of people from Arikera, Suluvai, Ellarthi, Bilehal, Nitravati, and Alur. Both groups fight each other with the help of wooden sticks until dawn. In the past, they fought each other using axes and spears.

Ten villages divide into two factions to fight with thick wooden sticks to protect the sacred idols

Every midnight on Dussehra, Devaragattu Temple hosts the world's most intense stick-fighting ritual to honor Lord Shiva

With this conflict going on between the two sides, many devotees are being hit by blows, resulting in head injuries and extensive bleeding. Even though medical squads have set up emergency bases for treatment of the injured, the injured men just put some turmeric paste on their injuries and continue fighting. The village honour depends on protecting these idols.

However, once the idols arrive at Basavannagudi, the air changes. The priests give the Bhavishyavani, which is a forecast from the divine about the coming year. The festival ends with one last stick fight when the idols finally reach the Kalyanakatta.

A century ago, villagers fought this sacred battle with axes and spears before transitioning to wooden sticks

Despite severe wounds, local devotees traditionally smear turmeric on their injuries and continue the fierce battle till dawn

Masses of people flock from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana, causing huge congestion. Due to the large-scale gathering of people, heavy security arrangements, along with medical staff, have to be made by the police.

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