Agnipariksha: Couple walks on fire in Chhattisgarh wedding ritual

RAIPUR: A video of a wedding ritual involving a couple walking barefoot over burning embers has recently gone viral, bringing everyone's attention to a decades-old tradition in a village near Raigarh in Chhattisgarh.Around 20 kilometres from the Raigarh district headquarters, a newlywed couple was seen clasping hands and stepping onto a bed of red-hot coals as part of their marriage ceremony. Unlike conventional weddings marked by flower-strewn aisles or decorated stages, this ritual replaces them with a path of fire, symbolising endurance and faith.Locals liken the practice to an "agnipariksha," or trial by fire. Some believe the flames can reveal ill omens carried by the bride, while others see it as a symbolic test of the couple's ability to face hardships together. Despite the apparent danger, villagers claim that no burns or injuries occur, attributing this to strong faith and divine protection.The ceremony unfolds at dusk under a mandap, where a village priest—believed to be possessed by a deity—prepares the ritual by spreading glowing embers on the ground. The bride, groom, and even some family members then walk barefoot across the fire, accompanied by chants and drumbeats, completing their pheras in a strikingly intense manner.The ritual is part of a tradition followed by families of the Gandhel gotra in the Rathiya community. The sequence is elaborate and intense as the couple takes pheras over the glowing coals."We have seen and performed this ritual since childhood. Every wedding in our family is solemnised this way," said Mehetter Rathiya, the family patriarch. The ceremony begins even before the couple arrives home—family members observe a strict fast, often without even water, until the bride's ‘griha pravesh' is completed.Another key aspect of the wedding is mandatory puja at the village's ancient Shiva temple, both before and after the ceremony. The wedding procession halts there to seek blessings, reinforcing the spiritual significance of the event.Community members maintain that skipping these rituals could invite misfortune, a belief that continues to sustain the practice across generations. As the viral video circulates widely, the tradition has begun drawing curious onlookers from nearby villages—highlighting a stark contrast to modern, choreographed weddings and underscoring a cultural practice rooted in unwavering faith and endurance.