India’s wildest Diwali? Why two groups pelt stones at each other a day after festival in Himachal: Know about tradition

Hundreds gathered in Halog village near Shimla for Pathar Mela, a centuries-old Diwali ritual in which two groups throw stones until someone is injured. The participant’s blood is offered as a ceremonial tilak to Goddess Bhadrakali, a practice believed to have replaced human sacrifice.