Why this village does not observe 'Holika Dahan'

When 'Holika Dahan', a fire ritual that marks the triumph of good over evil, was being celebrated on Thursday night, a village in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur did not observe the ritual.

The village Barsi, believes that if Holika Dahan is observed, Lord Shiva's feet will get burnt and hence it is not held.

Local women move to an adjacent village to perform the holy rites on the eve of Holi.

Barsi is home to an ancient Lord Shiva temple, which is said to be as old as Mahabharata, and plays a key role in this popular legend.

According to popular belief, the temple had been built by the Kauravas and Pandavas but due to some disagreement, Bhim, one of the five Pandavas, used his Gada (mace) and changed the direction of entrance of the temple from east to west.

Because of this, people believe that lighting the Holika fire will harm Lord Shiva's feet.

"For Holika Dahan, all women go to the adjacent village Tikrol. I do not know since when this ritual began but it has always been like that. It is a tradition and is directly associated with religious sentiments. No one has ever tried to change it and I don't think anyone will ever," said village head, Adesh Chaudhary.