Mirzapur: In a bizarre practice, women in Sant Ravidasnagar of Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh ploughed fields without any clothes, out of a belief that it will propitiate the rain Gods.
The unusual ritual took place at village Peer Khan in Kachwa area, where women ploughed fields after shunning clothes and bathing late last night.
According to ancient beliefs, ‘Indra Dev’ (Rain God) gets pleased by the ‘ritual’ and showers his might on the thirsty fields. The villagers said, they had been practising the ritual for last few years and it has proved to be lucky.
Last year too, they claimed to have earned a respite from the rain Gods in a similar fashion. The people hoped that this year too, the placatory step would work and make the prospects of their crops good.
People are also trying to please the rain Gods through other means. While some are seen chanting ‘mantras’ and ‘shlokas’ from the Hindus’ holy text of Gita and Ramayan, others are observing fasts for the arrival of rainfall.
Due to shimmering heat and delayed monsoons, the entire Eastern UP is on the brink of drought.