Katharagama

This all believers’ cynosure of religiosity and sanctity is encompassed by pilgrims throughout the year with great devotion. This convergent place is a pantheon of all deities – the Buddha, the God of Shiva, and the God of Ganesh. Especially the God of Katharagama stands charmingly crowned with charismatic arrogance for the believers who practice rasping experience of piercing tongue, cheeks, back skin, and calf of the leg with bronze skewers while penitents walk and roll on burning embers for physical mortification to prove that they follow God’s command. The sacred precinct is full of unusual edibles with religious paraphernalia, garlands, fruit platters, etc to be offered to the Gods of diverse faiths. The Kovils dedicated to the God Ganesh, Shiva, Vishnu, Katharagama, and many more are the busiest places of vows to bring about new changes to the believers while the bang-bangs of trumpets, drums, and clarionets are accompanied by fast and loud rhythmic beatings.