Gautampura vs Runji (Indore)

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Dhok Padwa

2026

Salil.Mekaad, Nov 10, 2026: The Times of India

Indore: A post-Diwali tradition of re-enacting an 18th-ce­ntury ‘hingot’ (fireball) war involving two village ‘armies’ escalated into chaos in MP’s Indore as 17 people were wounded, three of them critically, in the flurry of sh­ells hurled at each other. Doctors said three people hospitalised in a critical condition suffered eye and ear wounds.

Malwa’s famed, yet notoriously dangerous, highlight of Dhok Padwa featured warriors of Gautampura’s Turra and Runji’s Kalangi army — each side darting across the venue with shields in hand and bags of hingots on their shoulders in the manner of a medieval battleground scene.

Burning bamboo strips lit the way as hingots made from hollowed-out wild fruit stuffed with gunpowder flew in either direction like glowing rockets. As is the tradition, the battle didn’t have a winner. Once the final shell had been exhausted, the two sides went back to being one community. For spectators, it was a spectacle that honours what locals say is a tradition going back more than 250 years.

“We see it as a symbolic re-enactment of the eternal battle between gods and demons, and a matter of faith, valour and cultural identity,” said a villager. The con is that dozens suffer burn injuries at the event each year. Legal scrutiny is another challenge.

Safety arrangements had been made as part of this year’s preparations for the event. Senior police officers said high nets and barricades were installed around the “battlefield” to protect spectators from flying missiles.

The event was monitored by 200 cops and 100 administ­rative personnel, with fire en­gines and ambulances and do­ctors stationed at the venue.

The village warriors told reporters they felt no fear and enjoyed the “war” despite the danger. When it was over, they walked home with their shields, painted with messages that summed up the spirit in which the two villages met.