Devotees in western India took turns yesterday (November 15) to leap into thornbushes as part of a bizarre religious festival.

Footage captured in Guluche village in Maharashtra showed locals participating in the "Katebaraas Yatra" by flinging themselves repeatedly into a large pile of spikey branches outside the temple.

The strange tradition dates back at least 100 years and brings together all sections of society, according to local media.

However, the ritual has been on hold for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The nerve-wracking Katebaraas Yatra got organized in full swing after a pandemic-induced two-year-long gap in western India's Maharashtra on November 15. The incident took place in the Gulunche village, located in the Purandhar region of the Pune district.

Visuals feature the locals gathered together in a clearing in front of a temple. A heap of thorny, dry bushes rests in the middle, while the ground, as well as the locals, remain covered in powdered color. Later, the men jump, walk, and roll over the heap of thorns, participating in the ages-old tradition.

The tradition, dating back to 100 years, brings together people from all socio-economic backgrounds-right from the lower castes to the district collector, political leaders, business people, farmers, which has been contributing to the village’s development.

However, the ritual was on hold for the last two years due to the spread of Coronavirus. But, now the local authorities have given the green signal for the initiation of the Katebaraas Yatra, given that the villagers adhere to the government-regulated norms related to the pandemic.