500-year-old ritual of priest kicking devotees at Kurnool temple

Kurnool: The Sri Sidda Rameshwara Swamy Rathotsavam in Chinna Hoturu village, Kurnool grabbed the attention of everyone with a unique ritual. With a history of 500 years, the villagers have been following an intriguing tradition on the final day of the four-day festival. The temple priest, Veera Bhadra Swamy, kicks the devotees while carrying the idols of Lord Veerabhadra Swamy and Goddess Parvathi on his head, and holding Trishul in his hand. According to local legends, during the celestial marriage of Lord Siva and Goddess Parvathi, some devotees made mistakes, which drew the ire of Lord Veerabhadra Swamy. In order to relieve the devotees from their sins, the temple priest kicks them, and it is believed that this bestows peace and prosperity upon the devotees. The festival draws a large number of devotees from surrounding villages, who eagerly wait for their turn to be kicked by the priest. After receiving blessings from the priest, the devotees perform prayers to the Lord and Goddess, and then celebrate Vasantotsavam, where they dig big pits and fill them with pink-coloured water, which they pour on each other, marking the end of the festival.