Dhinga Gavar: Jodhpur’s fun festival

Day 4 of the "virtual (digital) tour" of places known for unusual customs, practices, mysterious phenomena.

Dhinga Gavar is a lively and unusual festival celebrated in the desert city of Jodhpur in Rajasthan. Besides the religious part, it is known for humour, disguises, and the curious tradition of women chasing men with sticks.

Unlike the more widely known Gangaur festival celebrated across India, Dhinga Gavar is unique to Jodhpur, particularly within the narrow lanes of the old city. It encourages women to step outside social norms and celebrate their independence.

MYTHOLOGY AND TIMELINE

"Dhinga" literally means fun by deception or mischief through pretence, while "Gavar" refers to the goddess associated with marital bliss and feminine strength.

The festivities last 16 days, beginning the day after the spring festival of Holi. According to legend, Lord Shiva once playfully teased his wife Goddess Parvati by disguising himself as a humble cobbler. In retaliation, Parvati appeared before him as a Bhil tribal woman to have some fun of her own.

This divine exchange of disguises forms the symbolic basis of the celebrations.

MEN WANT TO GET BEATEN BY WOMEN

Women carrying sticks to playfully strike men who cross
their path. - Vipingoyal/Wikipedia 

Several distinctive rituals mark the 16-day celebration. On the final evening, statues of the goddess are installed at 11 important locations across the old city. These idols are dressed in elaborate traditional attire and adorned with heavy gold jewellery, sometimes weighing between 5 kg and 30 kg.

The final night is the most dramatic. Women who have been observing fast, dress in elaborate costumes and patrol the streets all night to symbolically protect the statues of Dhinga Gavar.

During their night patrol, women carry sticks called baint, and they playfully strike men who cross their path.

According to local belief, any unmarried man struck by a woman’s stick during the festival is likely to get married within a year. Consequently, many young men deliberately wander near the Teejanias—sometimes even teasing them—hoping to receive a “lucky strike”.

Beneath the laughter and playful chaos, Dhinga Gavar carries a deeper message. The festival celebrates not just a deity, but the spirit, creativity, and equality of women, proving that in Jodhpur, they truly rule the roost for a night.

(This post is part of the A to Z Challenge and Blogchatter A2Z 2026)

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Channapatna dog temple

Day 3 of the "virtual (digital) tour" of places known for unusual customs, practices, mysterious phenomena.

India is home to several temples dedicated to gods, goddesses, and saints. Yet there are shrines quite unusual. One of them is near Channapatna, Karnataka's “Town of Toys”. A temple for dogs.

A SMALL SHRINE WITH A BIG STORY

It's in Agrahara Valagerehalli, a village about 80 kilometres from Bengaluru, in the Channapatna taluk of Ramanagara district (now renamed Bengaluru South district).

Despite its modest size, the shrine has drawn visitors from across India and even from abroad.

The temple was built in 2010 by a local businessman named Ramesh. He has played an important role in the construction of the nearby Kempamma Temple, dedicated to the village’s presiding deity, Goddess Kempamma.

THE LEGEND 

Image courtesy: Times Now

According to local folklore, two dogs appeared during the construction of the Kempamma temple.

The animals reportedly stayed at the site throughout the building process, quietly guarding the area. Villagers say the dogs never behaved aggressively, yet seemed to keep watch like sentinels.

Then, as suddenly as they had appeared, the dogs vanished.

Soon afterwards, goddess Kempamma is said to have appeared in a dream, instructing that a shrine be built in honour of the two dogs. The message was clear: the animals had been divine guardians, and their spirit should continue protecting the village.

And so the temple was built.

CANINE PROTECTORS

Inside the shrine stand statues representing the two dogs, placed close to the sanctum of the goddess. For devotees, these are not merely sculptures but symbols of vigilance and protection.

The rituals are similar to those at other temples:

Daily offerings: Flowers, fruits, and prayers are placed before the statues.

Weekly puja: Formal worship is conducted three times a week.

Annual celebration: Once a year, a special festival honours the canine guardians, attracting devotees who seek protection from misfortune and negative energies. (None of the online resources said on whch date or month the annual celebration takes place.)

THE TOY TOWN 

The temple lies near the town of Channapatna, famous worldwide for its traditional wooden toys.

Often called Gombegala Nagara — the “Town of Toys” — Channapatna’s colourful handcrafted playthings have been kids' favourite for generations. 

The place gained international attention during the visit of Barack Obama to India in 2010, when the toys were highlighted as a distinctive local tradition.

OTHER ANIMAL TEMPLES

The Channapatna Dog Temple is not the only such temple in the country.

A few examples include:

Dogs: The Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple in Kerala also considers dogs sacred, feeding and naming them as part of their tradition.

Rats: The Karni Mata Temple in Rajasthan is home to sacred rats.

Snakes: The Mannarasala Temple in Kerala is a forest sanctuary dedicated to serpents.

Bears: The Chandi Mata Temple in Chhattisgarh is famous for wild bears that visit to participate in rituals.

These might appear a bit strange, but actually they reflect an old Indian worldview of divinity in every form of life.

Information sources: The Times of India, Times Now, Malayala Manorama, News18

This post is part of the A to Z Challenge and Blogchatter A2Z 2026

Previous posts in the series: Asur, Bhangarh  

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Bhangarh, India's 'haunted city'

Day 2 of the "virtual (digital) tour" of places known for unusual customs, practices, mysterious phenomena.

People visit places for various reasons. Some for their beauty, others for their history. And then there are places like Bhangarh Fort in Rajasthan, which draw travellers simply because of a rather unusual reputation.

Bhangarh is widely described as “the most haunted city in India”. Whether one believes the stories or not, the tag has stuck to this place that is now ruined and deserted.

It is close to the Sariska Tiger Reserve forests; and from what I have read, it's like any other abandoned historical site: scattered temples, old market streets and the remains of a once-impressive palace.

Bhangarh Fort.
Image courtesy: Rajasthan Tourism 

FOLKLORE

Behind the tag of "haunted city" is, as you can expect, a legend.

The most popular story is about a sorcerer named Singhia and a beautiful Princess Ratnavati.

Apparently, the wizard fell hopelessly in love with the princess, and he tried to cast a love spell on a bottle of perfume meant for her.

The princess, however, discovered the trick. She threw the bottle onto a nearby rock. The rock rolled down and crushed the sorcerer.

But before dying, the man is said to have cursed the city, declaring that Bhangarh would turn into a ruin where no one could live.

Some local residents believe the ruins are inhabited not by ghosts but by djinns, mysterious supernatural beings said to occupy abandoned places.

'EERIE PHENOMENA'

Many visitors claim to have experienced strange phenomena there like

• Footsteps echoing in empty corridors
  
  
• Screeching sounds or distant voices at night
  
  
• Stones apparently being thrown from nowhere

Some say after dark the silent bazaar streets seem to come alive again, as if the long-vanished town briefly returns to life.

The most quirky thing is that of a signboard. 

At the entrance to the ruins, the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) placed a notice stating that entry into the fort complex is prohibited between sunset and sunrise. 

For many visitors, this restriction sounded like official confirmation that supernatural phenomenon happens here at night. So the board has since been removed.

But the official Rajasthan tourism website does have this sentence:

"As it is considered a haunted place the Bhangarh fort remains out of bound for visitors before sunrise and after sunset."

LOGICAL EXPLANATIONS

For every claim there are counter-claims too. 

Authorities say the area borders a dense forest and wildlife occasionally wanders through the ruins. The rule regarding visiting hours is meant purely as a safety precaution, and that such rules exist in other isolated places as well.

Historians says Bhangarh’s decline was due to political conflicts during the time of Sawai Jai Singh II, while others mention famine or economic decline.

Some psychologists say that if you go with a preconceived notions, most often what happens will seem to coincide with the preconceived belief. Like for example, the rustle of leaves, might appear to be ghostly, if you have a fear of ghosts. 

THE TAG HAS STUCK

All said and done, once a place earns a haunted reputation, logic rarely wins the argument.

Today, Bhangarh thrives on this quirky fame. Travellers arrive not only to see the ruins but also to experience the thrill of standing in India’s “most haunted” city.

Whether the spirits are real or not, Bhangarh has turned a mystery into a tourist attraction!

(Information sources: Rajasthan Tourism, The Hindu, NDTV, Wikipedia)

(This post is part of the A to Z Challenge and Blogchatter A2Z 2026)

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