Thimithi, firewalking ritual

Day 20 of the "virtual (digital) tour" of places known for unusual customs, practices, mysterious phenomena. This post is part of the A to Z Challenge and Blogchatter A2Z 2026

Thimithi is a ritual wherein devotees walk barefoot across a pit of blazing coals. 

The practice has its roots in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. It commemorates a defining moment in the life of Draupadi, wife of the five Pandava brothers. 

After the Pandavas’ victory in the great war against the Kauravas, Draupadi is said to have walked across burning coals to prove her purity and innocence. 

The ritual is mostly observed in Tamil Nadu, especially in villages such as Kondal and Manappakkam. Beyond India, the Tamil diaspora in places like Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius, South Africa, etc., also practise this.

Thimithi is part of a larger festival that spans several weeks in October–November. The firewalking itself usually takes place a week before Deepavali.

Image courtesy: Outlook Traveller

Devotees prepare themselves through prayer, fasting, and adopting a strictly vegetarian diet, believing that purity of body and spirit is essential to cross the fiery pit unharmed.  

Many undertake the ritual to fulfill vows made to the goddess or to seek blessings for prosperity, health, and protection.

While the practice has faced criticism in modern times, particularly regarding safety concerns for children, it continues to thrive as a religious ritual. For those who complete the ritual, the experience is often described as spiritually euphoric.

(Information sources: Outlook Traveller, Native Planet, Wikipedia)

Previous posts in the series:

Asur	Bhangarh	Channapatna
Dhinga Gavar	Edakkal caves	Floating stones
Ghost lights	Hakki Pikki	Idu Mishmi
Jatinga	Kodinhi	Living root bridges
Malana	Nidhivan	Om Banna Temple
Piplantri	Qila Raipur	Roopkund
Sati handprints

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Sati handprints

Day 19 of the "virtual (digital) tour" of places known for unusual customs, practices, mysterious phenomena. This post is part of the A to Z Challenge and Blogchatter A2Z 2026

Perched atop a 410-foot cliff in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, stands the Mehrangarh Fort, a masterpiece of Rajput architecture known for its indomitable strength. It was named the ‘Best Fortress in Asia’ by Time magazine in 2007.

But within that royal grandeur lies a small, poignant detail: a set of tiny, gilded handprints.

These handprints, impressed into the wall to the left of the Loha Pol (Iron Gate), are known as Sati marks. 

They serve as a sombre memorial to the royal consorts who committed Sati, a traditional practice of self-immolation on their husband’s funeral pyre.

These prints were made by the widows as they left the fort for the last time. Before departing, the women would be dressed in their wedding finery, signifying a final act of union.

Image courtesy: Amaury Laporte/Atlas Obscura

While the British outlawed Sati in 1829, the regulation did not initially apply to the Rajput state of Jodhpur. As the state was autonomous, its rulers could continue their traditions without British interference.

Historical records indicate that these marks most likely date back to the death of Maharaja Man Singh in 1843.

In those days, the act was viewed as a supreme testament to a wife’s devotion and religious faith. The marks also memorialised the high status of the men for whom these women sacrificed their lives.

(Information sources: Atlast Obscura, University of St Andrews, Incredible India)

Previous posts in the series:

Asur	Bhangarh	Channapatna
Dhinga Gavar	Edakkal caves	Floating stones
Ghost lights	Hakki Pikki	Idu Mishmi
Jatinga	Kodinhi	Living root bridges
Malana	Nidhivan	Om Banna Temple
Piplantri	Qila Raipur	Roopkund

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Roopkund: The skeleton lake

Day 18 of the "virtual (digital) tour" of places known for unusual customs, practices, mysterious phenomena. This post is part of the A to Z Challenge and Blogchatter A2Z 2026

In the Himalayas, at an altitude of 5,029 metres, lies an extraordinary archaeological puzzle — Roopkund, the lake of skeletons. For comparison, the height of Mount Everest is 8,848 metres. 

The lake is in the shadow of Trisul peak in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand.

These skeletons of 600 to 800 people, remain hidden beneath the snow for most of the year. It is only when the ice melts that they emerge, scattered around the shores and beneath the water. 

Owing to the harsh weather, some of them are remarkably well-preserved, with flesh, hair, and even wooden artefacts still intact.

HOW OLD ARE THEY

In 1942, a British forest ranger, H K Madhwal, stumbled upon them while patrolling.

Roopkund Lake sits at the bottom of a steep slope
on Trisul, a group of three Himalayan peaks
- Image courtesy: Atish Waghwase/BBC

For decades, scientists believed that one single event had killed a large group of people there. But, a 2019 DNA study of 38 skeletons revealed that the remains were deposited during multiple events spanning nearly 1,000 years.

Research shows that one group of people died between the 7th and 10th centuries. They were probably pilgrims, as the Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, an ancient Hindu pilgrimage, still passes near the lake today.

The remains of an estimated 600-800 people
have been found at the site.
Image courtesy: Himadri Sinha Roy/BBC

Studies also found that the skeletons of 14 people were of Mediterranean ancestry, dating to around the year 1800. This remains a mystery, because there is no historical record of Mediterranean travellers in this remote region during that period.

CAMPING BANNED

The skeletons remain at the site, with no attempts made to relocate or bury them. The focus is instead on preservation and scientific genomic and biomolecular analysis in laboratories in India and abroad.

Unfortunately, the area has suffered from the impact of trekkers. Some have tampered with the remains, moved them around, and even taken bones home as souvenirs!

To protect the site from further environmental and archaeological damage, the government has banned camping in the fragile alpine meadows leading to the lake.

(Information sources: BBC, Nature, Outlook Traveller, Wikipedia)

Previous posts in the series:

Asur	Bhangarh	Channapatna
Dhinga Gavar	Edakkal caves	Floating stones
Ghost lights	Hakki Pikki	Idu Mishmi
Jatinga	Kodinhi	Living root bridges
Malana	Nidhivan	Om Banna Temple
Piplantri	Qila Raipur

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