World · India Bureau
Bihar devotee performs nine-day Navratri ritual without water, nine urns on chest
A unique display of religious devotion has drawn crowds to a worship site in Bihar's Rohtas district, where a man is undertaking an intense nine-day penance during Navratri. The ritual involves balancing nine earthen urns on his chest while abstaining from water throughout the period.
LSN India ·
Suni Kumar, a resident of Mohddiganj in Sasaram, Rohtas district, has become a centre of attention during this year's Navratri celebrations for his extraordinary form of worship. As part of the Shiv Durga Puja Committee's festivities, Kumar is performing an austere penance that requires him to maintain nine clay urns balanced on his chest for the entire nine-day festival period.
The ritual is particularly notable for its stringent requirements. Throughout the duration of his worship, Kumar is abstaining completely from drinking water, a challenging feat of physical and mental endurance during the Hindu festival dedicated to the worship of the Goddess Durga.
According to local accounts, Kumar has been observing this distinctive form of devotion for between 10 to 12 years, making it a recurring spiritual practice rather than a one-time undertaking. The penance has attracted considerable public interest, with devotees and curious onlookers visiting the puja pandal regularly to witness the display of faith.
The practice reflects the diverse forms of religious observance seen across India during Navratri, when devotees undertake various forms of fasting, meditation, and ritual worship. Such intensive spiritual practices are rooted in Hindu traditions that view physical sacrifice and discipline as pathways to spiritual development and divine blessing.