Have you heard about this Dhami Diwali tradition where people throw stones at each other?

The stone pelting festival, which takes place in Dhami, the former princely state of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, on the day following Diwali amidst the rain, involves youth from the Dhamed and Jamog clans participating in a stone-throwing competition as part of the tradition. This tradition is followed until someone gets injured and starts bleeding, and their blood is applied for the tilak ritual associated with Goddess Kali.

This stone pelting festival follows a royal procession and temple prayers

The stone pelting festival starts off with a procession which starts from the royal court to the fairground. The procession is headed by Kanwar Jagdeep Singh, who is an heir to the royal family of the Dhami dynasty. The stone-throwing game takes place after prayer in Narasimha Temple. Stones are usually hurled at the royal family first. Then, people from two villages, Dhamed and Jamog, start throwing stones at one another from both sides.

The stone pelting festival continues until there is a victim who gets injured and starts bleeding. In the case that happened this year, the throwing of stones went on for almost 25 minutes before organisers told them to stop.

When the game gets over, the mood shifts from battle to festivities. There is singing, dancing, and beating of drums. The blood of the wounded individual is used for marking the tilak on the sati’s memorial. The committee pays homage to the temple.

The history of stone pelting festival can be traced back several centuries, and it is said to have originated from an older custom of human sacrifice that was practised in Maa Bhima Kali Temple.

It is said that the queen of the royal family of Ranas decided to stop the human sacrifice practice. After the death of the king of Dhami, the queen committed sati at the crossroads. The current stone fair is organised in the playground of this place.

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