Hindu Devout Pierces Her Cheeks with Spear

The Piercing Ritual

One of the highlights of the Navaratri Hindu Festival are the religious rituals, such as the piercing of body parts.

Apparently the devotees experience no pain and they do not bleed from their piercings.

At the Navaratri festival in Bangkok I witnessed the cheeks piercing of a Hindu devout with a metal spear. View the piercing ritual step-by-step.

Piercing ritual preparation

Crown handling ceremony

Ritual onlookers

Concentration

Meditation

Preparation

The devout enters into trance

The devout is ready for piercing

Piercing procedure

Piercing procedure

The spear is rammed into the devout’s cheek

The piercing is done

A lime is added to the pointed end of the piercing spear

The lime is replaced by banknotes

The devout with her cheeks pierced with a spear

The handling of the lights

The devout is holding the lights

Navaratri Hindu Festival

Hindu devout with her cheeks pierced with a spear

The piercing by skewers symbolises several things:

• that the pilgrim has temporarily renounced the gift of speech so that he or she may concentrate more fully upon the deity
• that the devotee has passed wholly under the protection of the deity who will not allow him/her to shed blood or suffer pain
• the transience of the physical body in contrast with the enduring power of truth  (BBC)

Related

• More about the festival in the “Mystery and Awe: Navaratri Hindu Festival” post