There is a temple in Andhra Pradesh where devotees go all equipped to kill or be killed. Every Dussehra night, the Devaragattu temple in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh witnesses frenzy where hundreds of men wielding long sticks (lathis) hit each other on heads.

The event, called Banni festival, at the temple located near the Andhra-Karnataka border, draws people from both states in huge numbers. The ritual takes place at midnight when the procession idols of the ruling deities Malamma (Parvati) and Malleshwara Swamy (Shiva) are brought down the hill temple at Neraneki.

Men, mostly farmers, do not budge even as their white shirts are drenched red with blood and the “victory parade” to commemorate the killing of a demon by Mala-Malleshwara continues till the break of dawn.