Tamil Nadu priest bathes in water mixed with 108kg chilli powder. Video

The priest in n Nadapanahalli village in Tamil Nadu. (Image credit: News18, Pixabay)

A priest in Tamil Nadu bathed in water mixed with 108 kg chilli powder "to protect devotees from bad luck". The incident happened in a village in Dharmapuri district during Aadi Amavasai festival when thousands flock to the Rameswaram temple to observe the rituals. The festival marks the day of the new moon in the month of Aadi.

While it is customary for people to take a dip in a waterbody on this day, the priest in Nadapanahalli village bathed in water and chilli powder instead. A video of the ritual shared by CNBC-TV18 shows other priests mixing chilli powder with water in huge containers before they were emptied over the selected priest as he sat kneeling.

It is believed that the practice will protect the devotees from bad luck.

To protect devotees from bad luck!

On the auspicious day of Aadi Amavasai in Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri district, a priest bathed in water mixed with 108 kg chilli powder pic.twitter.com/zWLjBsJryS

— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18News) August 20, 2023

Aadi Amavasai, a significant day in the Hindu lunar calendar, holds immense importance as it is believed to grant solace to the souls of ancestors through acts of fasting and special pujas.

While some observe a fast on every Amavasai day, others opt for pujas performed in memory of holy places and the purifying act of bathing in holy waters during specific periods.

#WATCH | Tamil Nadu | Thousands of devotees performed Pitru Karma Puja on Aadi Amavasai, in Rameswaram.

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Devotees came here early morning, took a holy dip at Agni Teertham before performing the rituals of the puja. pic.twitter.com/n754Gkz48q

— ANI (@ANI) August 16, 2023

Noteworthy, among these periods are the Udrayana holy phase of Thai and Masi months, as well as the Daksanayana holy season of Adi and Puratasi months.

Devotees hold a firm belief that performing pujas dedicated to parents in Thai and Aadi months, relatives in Masi, and all beings during the auspicious Mahalaya Puratasi month brings forth remarkable blessings.

(With inputs from ANI)