With many cultures, traditions, ethnic, and tribal groups dispersed all throughout the country, India has long been a mystery place. With so many different factions, it is a very diverse society. The majority of them identify as Hindus.
They are devout and incredibly superstitious, almost to the point of obsession. Remember that even while the majority of them believe in superstition, apparitions, etc., they do not believe in strange rituals performed by tiny groups of people to appease God.
Breaking coconuts on people’s heads is one of the charming customs practiced in southern India, especially in Tamil Nadu’s rural communities!
The ancient practice of “breaking coconut on the head” entails smashing a coconut over the devotee’s head as a prayer to the gods for success and good health.
Devotees congregate around the Pujari, who are mostly non-Brahmin priests, who breaks a coconut on their head in a predetermined location, usually a temple.
Most attendees stand up and leave as if nothing occurred. After this peculiar occurrence, some people rub their heads. After their wish has been fulfilled by the deity, they execute this rite as a sort of thankfulness to the deity.
The priest breaks the coconuts quickly in succession without straying from the center of the skull on the worshippers seated around him.
This custom is practiced at a few locations in the Tamil Nadu districts of Karur, Coimbatore, and Madurai.
The ritual takes place in the Mahalakshmi temple, which is located near Mahadanapuram, 23 kilometers from Karur town. It is a two-day event in some areas and is popular with some castes.
More than a thousand followers participate in this perplexing rite at any given time, and because of the extra force the priest uses or the impact of the coconut on the sides of the skull, head injuries with bleeding do occasionally occur.
Puja is performed to the deity before breaking the coconut, after which the priest may occasionally enter a trance and stand on a bed of jagged nails.
Before doing morning puja at home, worshippers who visit the temple to have a coconut cracked on their head are expected to take a head bath the previous evening. On this day of ceremony, they should abstain from eating anything not vegetarian. To retain the sacredness of this event, the partners must also maintain celibacy.
The people claim that this custom got its start when the British laid railroad tracks through their communities during the colonial era.
When asked to alter the tracks’ path, the foreigners replied sarcastically that they would do so provided they could shatter the coconut-shaped stones that were lying on the ground nearby with their heads.
Through hypnosis and prayer, the peasants did break the little stones with their heads, and the custom is still practiced today.
The government does not want to become involved in religious concerns because of the sensitivity of the issues involved. The Human Rights Commission raises a fuss about these risky behaviors, but it serves no purpose.
According to specialists, even if the skull can withstand some trauma, such procedures are dangerous and harmful to one’s health.
They argue that since there is no energy release if the coconut does not shatter, it will undoubtedly result in head injuries.
They refuse to abandon the custom that has persisted since the British era, despite the doctors’ warnings.
