Devotees led decked-up bulls over burning hay to celebrate the harvest festival in a ritual seeking good fortune and protection from harm.
(In pic: Hindu priest performs a blessing ritual for a bull before being led over burning hay as part of a tradition to seek good fortune and protection from harm during the Hindu Makar Sankranti festival in Bangalore)
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AFP
Stage on fire
In the southern city of Bangalore famous as the tech-hub of India, men decorated the bulls with garlands and bells and walked them over hay set ablaze.
(In pic: Indian men lead a bull over burning hay as part of a ritual to seek good fortune and protection from harm during the Hindu Makar Sankranti festival)
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AFP
To exorcise evil
Bulls are made to jump across a blazing wall of fire during annual rituals to exorcise evil, on Makar Sankranti festival, at a village near Mysore.
The age-old ritual is believed to bring good fortune and keep cows, which are sacred to Hindus, and other livestock and crops from harm's way.
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Agencies
What Sankranti is all about
Makar Sankranti is the day dedicated to Lord Surya and is celebrated by devotees by taking a holy dip in river Ganges. As per the Hindu calendar, this day is also celebrated as the festival of harvest.
The calendar reads Makar Sankranti to mark the beginning of the auspicious year. From surviving the cold winters to moving towards the livelier season of spring, Makar Sankranti is celebrated in various parts of India.
