"Locals of Khyruppalla Village in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool district took to the streets on Saturday to join a tradition called Pidakala Samaram, during which participants throw cow dung at one another in a ritual thought to bring health, prosperity, and timely rainfall. Footage shows festival-goers joining a procession before being swept up in a chaotic scene as they hurled balls of dung at one another. Spectators gathered on nearby balconies to watch the disorderly yet spirited ritual from above. "Everyone is a relative, brothers. They will separate and fight each other in this Pidakala Samaram," shared a local villager. In Hindu folklore, this symbolic war stems from a mythological marriage dispute. Two sides participate: one group (from castes like Golla and Kammara) throws cow dung in the name of Goddess Bhadrakali, while the other does so in honour of Lord Veerabhadraswamy. Participants typically downplay serious concerns about injuries during the fight, believing they could simply use ash to speed up their wounds' recovery. "You get hurt, but the pain will disappear in a day if you apply the sacred ash. It will be over in a day. Nothing will happen," one claimed. The event, traditionally held a day after the first day of the year on the Hindu calendar, known as Ugadi, culminates in a collective celebration of the marriage between Goddess Bhadrakali and Lord Veerabhadraswamy."