The Hindu festival of Sankranti took place yesterday (January 15) in towns across south Asia, with one in southern India seeing farmers carrying and driving their livestock over fires.

The festival filmed in Chamrajnagar district, Karnataka state, sees all the farming harvest decorated and offered prayers, before finally being taken to the warehouse to store them.

Sankranti is known across south Asia by many different names with different customs, with Chamrajnagar displaying cows and cattle in colourful decorations and costumes in an open field, then herding them over fires as part of the festival.

This event was attended by hundreds of farmers, who also crossed the pyre with their cattle. The villagers says by doing this their cattle will live longer with good health and their business will grow.

A large number of tourists and villagers from nearby towns also gathered to watch. The locals claim none of the cows were injured in the incident.

Sankranti is Harvest Festival and its celebrated all over South Asia with some regional variations. It is known by different names and celebrated with different customs in different parts of the country.This is the festival where all the harvest is gathered (Paddy, Ragi etc) and then decorated and offered prayers and then finally taken to the warehouse to store them. An important ritual is display of cows and cattle in colourful costumes in an open field. Cows are decorated for the occasion and taken on a procession.In karnataka chamrajnagar district villagers celebrate the festival with a bizzare ritual.During the sankranti festival here cows are forced to jump on fire as part of the sankranti festival.Today's festival was attended by 100's of farmers,they crossed the pyre with their cattle.The villagers says by doing this their cattle will live longer with good health and their business will grow.A large number of tourists and villagers from nearby town gathered to watch this ritual.The locals claim none of the cows were injured in the incident.