A video of people wearing saffron dhotis and throwing burning torches (marshals) at each other is going viral on social media (here, here, here, and here). It is being shared with the claim that the Pandits attacked each other due to a dispute over donation money. Let’s verify the truth behind the video in this article.
Claim: The video shows Pandits throwing burning torches (mashals) at each other during a dispute over donation money.
Fact: The video actually shows the ‘Thootedhara’ or ‘Agni Keli’ ritual held during the annual fair at Kateel Durga Parameshwari Temple in Mangaluru. In this centuries-old tradition, devotees from neighbouring villages symbolically throw burning torches at each other to honour Goddess Durga. It is not related to any dispute or fight over donation money. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the viral video led us to multiple media reports (here, here, and here) from April 2025 featuring visuals of the same viral video. According to these reports, the video shows the Thootedhara or Agni Keli ritual held during the annual fair at the Kateel Durga Parameshwari Temple in Mangaluru. In this centuries-old tradition, devotees from the neighbouring villages of Attur and Kodethoor throw burning coconut palm fronds at each other in a symbolic battle to honour Goddess Durga’s victory over demons. The ritual, conducted on the eighth day of the jatre, draws hundreds of participants and is held under strict safety measures.
While this ritual is famously performed in Kateel, it is also observed in several other temples across Mangaluru and Udupi during annual temple fairs. As some Pandits seen in the video explained, the ritual in Kateel is locally known as Thootedhara and typically lasts for about 15 minutes. During this time, participants hurl burning torches made from dried coconut leaves or cloth soaked in oil as an offering to the goddess. This year, the event took place on 20 April 2025 (here, here).
To sum up, the video shows a ritual at a Mangaluru temple where people throw burning torches at each other, and it is not related to any fight over donation money.
