Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to introduce ban on fire-walking

Fire-walking is popular in parts of South India. While in many places it is done during temple festivals, in others it is done to attract crowds at fairs. Bangalore MIrror reports that, on Tuesday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced at the Legislative Assembly that he would put a ban on this shortly.

According to the daily, walking on fire received a lot of flak after 70 people fell into the embers accidentally at a village in Tumakuru. A 35-year-old devotee died as a result of the burns on March 17. Post the accident there has been a lot of debate in the state as to the whether the fire-walking ritual should be banned completely.

The daily reports that devotees see this ritual as a purification process for the soul and those who took part in it volunteer to do it. Devotees did not seem to perturbed at the idea of a ban, adds the report. 

The Leidenfrost effect has been connected to fire-walking wherein when two bodies which are at different temperatures (in this case, the feet and embers) come in contact, the hotter body cools off and the cooler body heats up. There is an insulating layer that is formed for a short period of time and, thus, this prevents the feet from getting burnt.

Devotees who take part in this ritual usually rush across the embers and most never get burnt. It's when they slip and fall that they end up getting injured and burnt, the daily reports.