Devotees taking part in this Hindu festival held in Medan, Indonesia, pierce themselves with huge metal hooks.

Footage of the Chitra Pournami festival shows attendees lining the streets as the pierced devotees marched through.

People of South Indian descent in Indonesia celebrate the Chitra Pournami Festival in the Medan area, North Sumatra. They celebrated by holding a service at Sri Bathara Kaliamman Temple, then holding body piercing and cheek piercing rituals using metal hooks, as one pandit said. The person leading the celebration was named Nilen, who said, they held a chitra pournami festival or full moon celebration which was celebrated for six consecutive days, where they prayed to bring the holy karagam, and on the last day, they held a tongue. ritual piercing, and the palkudam is paraded back to Sri Batara Kaliaman Temple, offered to the goddess Amman Bathara Kali, to ask for blessings, forgiveness, and even gifts from the goddess./Kartik BYMA