Throwing cow dung at each other for good luck in India

The Hindu New Year, also known as Baisakhi, is celebrated across India around mid-April. The festival differs from state to state and culture to culture, but they all have common roots. This year, Baisakhi takes place on April 14.

In Kairuppala village, Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh state, the Hindu New Year is also celebrated with solemnity and reverence. In this area, the festival is called Ugadi. The activities start with a thorough cleaning of the house, decorating the floor with vibrant rangoli patterns and hanging mango leaf strings in front of the door.

Known by many other names such as kolam, muggu or mandana, rangoli art is a way of expressing drawings on a flat surface (ground) using rice flour or colored sand along with flour and flower petals. Rangoli represents people’s belief and worship of gods in Hinduism and is also considered a symbol of welcome.

Family members perform ritual oiling and bathing. Women prepare many delicious dishes for the whole family to enjoy. Going to temples, doing charity work, and exchanging new clothes with friends are also familiar customs.

The next day, the festival took a more strange turn. The villagers divided into two groups and started throwing cow dung cakes at each other. This operation became known as Pidakala Samaram, or “Pidakala war”.

This tradition originates from a Hindu folk tale, telling about the pre-wedding conflict between goddess Bhadrakali and god Virabhadra. Legend has it that Bhadrakali, displeased with Virabhadra’s sudden approach, threatened to throw cow dung at him if he followed her to the village.

When Virabhadra arrived at Kairuppala village the next day to perform the marriage, Bhadrakali asked the villagers to throw cow dung at him. Soon, supporters of Bhadrakali and Virabhadra started throwing cow dung at each other. Finally, the village elders intervened and resolved the dispute so that the wedding between the two gods could take place.

To this day, the people of Kairuppala still maintain this tradition, organizing an annual “cow dung battle” after the Ugadi ceremony. Besides this fun activity, the whole village also joyfully celebrates the sacred union between Virabhadra and Bhadrakali. According to local beliefs, throwing cow dung helps improve everyone’s health, and the annual ritual also brings prosperity and good weather to the whole village.

Not only Kairuppala, today many places in India still preserve the tradition of celebrating this festival.

Baisakhi is known as the spring harvest celebration, marking the completion of the crop and the abundance of agricultural products ready for market. During this time, people go to local temples and gurdwaras (holy shrines in Sikhism), participate in fairs, and hold special thanksgiving rituals (pujas). This is also an opportunity to reunite families, meet friends, enjoy typical dishes, and wear new clothes.