Chamarajanagar: India has its strength hidden in its cultural diversity. Though Diwali, the festival of lights is celebrated across the country, what makes the festival special is the diverse nature of celebration.
In a village named Gumatapura of Talavadi, which is jostled in the border region, Diwali is celebrated in the most eco-friendly manner. The people of this village have said ‘NO’ to crackers generation ago and instead they uphold their agrarian side by celebrating what is called ‘Gore Habba’ on the third day of Diwali.
Gore Habba is nothing but the villagers coming together to splash cow dung at each other- call it the Tomatina festival of India with a twist!!!
The highlight of this village is that though it is largely a part of Tamil Nadu, most of the people call themselves Kannadigas.
Each household in the village ferries cow dung in a cart to the venue of the festival, which is mostly the backyard of the local village temple. After the priest from the temple sprinkles some holy water from the temple, he gets possessed by the village deity and he orders to start the celebrations. Soon, the locals start wrestling in the dung and splashing it on one another.
Another weird practice that takes place simultaneously is that of a youth is dressed like a fool and is mounted on a donkey by the villagers. He is taken on village rounds, during which the locals hurl abuses, thereby venting out their anger and frustrations at the fool.
After the play in the dung is over, the villagers assembly near Beereshwara Swamy temple, offer prayers and then proceed to the outskirts of the villager where an effigy of a fool is set ablaze.
Thus the festival of lights ends with whole lot of fun and frolic. The villagers return home only waiting to see the same ritual take place the next year.
