Indians have been known to resort to superstitions and rituals to appease the gods and fulfill wishes, over time and age. With temperatures soaring and rain gods showing no respite across the country, people have taken up to several such practices in a bid to attract some rain.
We take a look at some of the practices that have taken place in the past to appease the rain god across the southern states of our very superstitious nation.
Andhra Pradesh
The ‘Kappa Talli’ dance is practiced in rural pockets of Andhra Pradesh to please the rain god, Varuna, into showering his blessings on the people in the form of rain
The dance has its origin in folk tradition and requires two men to shoulder a pole horizontally, with a frog tied in the middle. The duo then go house to house, singing a folk song and collecting uncooked rice, that is later cooked and fed to the community.
Telengana
File photo: People perform 'Parjanya Yajna' for rains in Ahmedabad; PTI Photo
In Hyderabad, the priests sit in buckets of water and perform the ‘Parjanya Yagna’ to appease Varuna, the rain god.
Karnataka
Recently in Hubbali, shepherds hung carcasses of dead sheep on trees to invoke the sympathy of the rain god and bring in showers. These sheep have died due to foot and mouth disease, rising temperatures and absence of water in the area.
Last year, in the Bidar district of Karnataka, children took out a procession, carrying two frogs in a pot on their heads. The housewives were asked to throw water on their head, and raise slogans in favour of the rain god. Following this, the frogs were married off in the Beerappa temple in the village.
Tamil Nadu
In May 2013, residents from a village near Thiruchengode conducted the marriage of two donkeys, in hopes to appease the rain god. The donkeys were dress in bridal finery and married off in a grand ceremony, involving over Rs 75,000, all of which was donated by the villagers. This is an age-old practice adopted by various villages across the state to invoke rains.