Unique Stone Pelting Tradition in Dhami, Shimla Rural Assembly Constituency, Continues with Enthusiasm

The centuries-old tradition of stone-throwing games during Diwali in Halog Dhami, part of the Shimla Rural Assembly constituency, was zealously upheld on the second day of the festival. Starting around half-past three on Monday afternoon, stones poured from both sides for nearly half an hour amid enthusiastic participants gathered between the Sharada Chabutra, Jathoti, and Jamogi.

The stone-throwing match concluded with the heads of Akshay Verma (23) from Jathoti and Dalip Verma from Jamogi getting hit. Following this, the tradition was fulfilled by applying tilak with their blood at the Bhadrakali temple. Both participants received initial medical treatment. Around 150 youths participated in this stone battle accompanied by the beats of drums and nagadas. The spectacle drew thousands of spectators, leading to a traffic halt for about half an hour in the Chaura area, causing no vehicular disturbance on the Dhami-Shimla and Dhami-Galod roads.

Under the leadership of Jagdeep, the heir of the Raj family, a grand procession, ‘Shobhayatra,’ took place in Shimla. After the worship at the Narsingh Devta temple in the Raj Darbar, Priest Devendra Bhardwaj presented the Raksha flower to Jagdeep Singh, the heir of the Raj family. With this flower, a procession with drums and nagadas set off from the Darbar to the fairground for the stone-throwing Chaura. In this, organizers including Kanwar Devendra Singh, Dushyant Singh, Ranjeet Singh, Govind Singh, and Devendra Bhardwaj participated.

The tradition of Narbali (human sacrifice) for the well-being of the state and the people in the region dates back hundreds of years. Queen Sati initiated the tradition in place of human sacrifice to ensure peace and prosperity in the region. Instead of risking lives, participants now engage in this stone-throwing game, concluding with the symbolic application of blood at the Bhadrakali temple, maintaining the tradition since then.

Despite a brief confrontation between participants after the conclusion of the game, the police swiftly intervened, resolving the situation.