Kurnool: While Dasara festivities across the country are steeped in grandeur, devotion, and cultural richness; a real, late night, bloody stick-fighting among thousands of devotees marks the culmination of the festival at Devaragattu village near Neradiki in Holagunda mandal of Kurnool district—on the Andhra Pradesh–Karnataka border.

Here, devotees from two groups of villages converge each year for the centuries-old Banni festival, also known as “Karrala Samaram” or stick-fighting, to reprise the mythological triumph of good over evil.

The event, scheduled to unfold on late in the night of October 2 this year, stands out for its unusual ritual: villagers armed with stout sticks engage in a fierce combat through the night of Dasara, re-enacting the mythological battle of good against evil.

According to the pervasive local belief, Lord Siva once took the fierce form of Bhairava to slay the demons Mani and Mallasura, striking them down with sticks to restore peace in the world. Commemorating this divine intervention, the villagers re-stage the encounter every year at the Devaragattu hill shrine of Mala Malleswara Swamy.

Two groups of devotees take part in the ritual combat. The first one, comprising villagers from Neradiki, Neranikitanda, and Kothapeta, represent the followers of Lord Siva. The other group, comprising devotees from Ellarti, Arikera, Maddigeri, Nitranatta, Sulavai, and Hebbetam, represent supporters of the slain demons.

As the procession carrying the temple idols moves out from the shrine at midnight, the demons’ side attempts to block its path, triggering a vigorous stick-fight that lasts until dawn.

For the participants, the bloodshed that follows is not the consequence of a hostile encounter, but a sacred offering. “Every drop of blood shed here is believed to please Lord Mala Malleswara and protect our families,” said Ramaiah, a farmer from Kothapeta, who has been a part of the ritual since his youth. “Injuries are not seen as misfortune but as blessings from the deity,” he amplifies.