Some of the rituals are harmless but some can be dangerous to life. I really dread the hooking rituals. I had once read in the reader digest that hooking ritual was practised among the red indians in earlier time to select the most worthy warriors from among the grown up boys. Didn't know that it is taking place in India too. 

Yes.Some of the religious rituals which are bizarre can be seen everywhere with some changes.

jabeen wrote:

Some of the rituals are harmless but some can be dangerous to life. I really dread the hooking rituals. I had once read in the reader digest that hooking ritual was practised among the red indians in earlier time to select the most worthy warriors from among the grown up boys. Didn't know that it is taking place in India too. 

Yes some them look gruesome,...hooking is not just here in India but it is also followed in Malayasia where a large number of devotees gather on the festival day at Batu caves and take out a procession with hooks and needles poked through their jaws and what not..also the chariot pulled by a few men who hook the ropes on to their backs ugh!

Hooking  and piercing are more prevalent in the Indian communities settled in other countries like Singapore and Malaysia. The followers believe that is the way to show devotion towards gods whom they believe..

A certain kind of hooking ritual is caried out in several places in Maharashtra, a single hook is pierced into the skin of the back of the 'chosen person' each year during 'urus' or fair of many dieties and he is then lifted high up in the air with a wooden pole and rotated around for several minutes. The person is then brought back down and the hook removed, to which a mix of turmeric and oil is applied. Surprisingly, no one has reported developing any infection or complication. This ritual is called as bagaad.

Thaipusam is  a festival dedicated to Lord Murugan in which body and tongue piercing are done by the devotees of Murugan also called as Kumara swamy.

In Kerala, the hooking ritual is called “Garudan Thookkam” (Eagle Hanging).  It is performed in Kali temples. After killing Demon Darika, Goddess Kali remained thirsty and Lord Vishnu sent his vehicle Garuda to quench her thirst. Garuda danced in front of her and offered its blood. People dressed like Garuda perform a dance. Then they are pierced with hooks at their back skin and hung from a shaft. The hanging Garudas are then taken in procession.

Yes I have seen this festival in Dasavatharam. Kamala Hasan will be hooked on his back and shoulders and was hung to  a tall post. This hanging Kamala Hasan will be shown in a procession.

Pulikali, meaning “the play of tigers” is a colourful folk art form celebrated in Thrissur district of Kerala during Onam festival. The trained folk artists, after hours of make-up, painted like tigers, dance and play hunting games to the beats of percussion instruments.    

The same ritual is observed in a village goddess festival in AP. The devotees are painted like tigers and they are known as

" Puli Veshalu."