One village in south India held an unusual festival on November 6 which saw attendees smear and throw cow dung at each other.

In the village of Gumatapura in Tamil Nadu state, the festival ‘Gore Habba' is celebrated every year three days after the Hindu festival Diwali. The ritual of throwing cow dung on one another has existed in this village for over 200 years.

The villagers believe the cow dung has medicinal values and it can cure skin infections, hair loss problems, and feel energized after participating in the festival.

In the village of Gumatapura in Thalavadi district in Tamilnadu villagers throw cow dung on each other and smear themselves with the dung during the festival ‘Gore Habba'.The festival is celebrated every year three days after the Hindu festival Diwali. The ritual of throwing cow dung on one another has existed in this village for over 200 years.

The villagers believe their Deity was found from a pile of dung and the clothes and remains of a saint were dumped in a pit in the village and took shape of a ‘Linga’, which got surrounded by cow dung. The dung is highly revered by the local deity Kare Eshwaraswamy, according to the villagers, who collect the dung and dump it behind the temple. The villagers believe the cow dung has medicinal values and it can cure skin infections, hair loss problems, and feel energized after participating in the festival.

The festival starts with the village youth going about religiously collecting mounds of cattle excrement which is transported to the temple in bullock carts and tractors and creating a pile behind the temple. After performing religious rituals the priest allow the men to start the battle. The event attracts people from nearby districts and visitors from outside the state.