Pushkar and Kumbh Mela are some festivals that need no introduction in India. However, the Vittal Birdev Annual Yatra, something that is not heard of, is celebrated at Pattan Kodoli village in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra attended by thousands of devotees coming from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra between October 17th - 24th. The festival is celebrated to offer prayers to the community diety of the shepherds, Shri Vittal Birdev, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. They believe that the festival and rituals would bring good fortune.
I witnessed Baba, a holy man, being surrounded by a furiously religious crowd throwing a mixture of haldi and dry coconut on him. Huge umbrellas were br...