The Mandher Devi temple stampede occurred on Tuesday, 25 January 2005 at
Mandher Devi temple near
Wai in
Satara district in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n state of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
. The
stampede broke out as 300,000 people converged on the Mandher Devi temple to undertake the annual pilgrimage on the full moon day of
Shakambhari Purnima
Shakambhari Purnima () is a Hindu festival primarily observed in India in veneration of the goddess Shakambhari. It is observed in the month of Pausha, which usually corresponds with January. Shakambari Purnima is the last day in the 8-day long ...
, in January and for participation in a 24-hour-long festival that includes ritual animal sacrifices to the goddess. Festivities also include the devotees breaking coconuts at Mangirbaba temple near the entrance and dancing with the Goddess Kalubai's idol held high.
Witnesses said the rush started around midday after some pilgrims slipped on the temple's steep stone steps, which were wet with coconut water spilled from fruit presented as offerings to the goddess Kalubai. A fire then broke out in shops nearby and gas cylinders exploded. Scores were crushed to death on the steep and narrow hill path leading to the temple and many others were charred. It was alleged that some drunk people had created the chaos which led to the disaster, as also mentioned by Justice (retd.) Rajan Kochar of
Bombay High Court
The High Court of Bombay is the high court of the states of Maharashtra and Goa in India, and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. It is seated primarily at Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), and is one of the ol ...
, in his report. 291 pilgrims died in the stampede.
References
External links
The Hindu Jan. 27, 2005BBC News Jan 26, 2005Express India Jan 26, 2005News India Jan 26, 2005
Human stampedes in India
2005 disasters in India
History of Maharashtra (1947–present)
Disasters in Maharashtra
Human stampedes in 2005
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