A quick glance at 6 worst temple tragedies in India

In one of the worst tragedies to hit Kerala, at least 106 people were killed and more than 350 injured in a devastating fire that engulfed the 100-year-old Puttingal Devi Temple complex in Kollam during an unauthorised display of fireworks on April 10. Officials say that 10,000-15,000 people were present at a ground next to the temple in Paravur watching fireworks to honor Goddess Kali when the fire started a little after 3 am. In past, the southern state had witnessed such tragedies too. According to the Kerala government’s data, 300 people have died between 2006 and 2011 in fireworks mishaps.

Mandher Devi Temple January 26, 2005. Nearly 350 people were killed and over 200 injured at Mandher Devi Temple near Wai in Satara district of western Maharashtra. The stampede occurred was when some people fell down on the steps made slippery by devotees breaking coconuts. The stampede broke out as 300,000 people converged on the Mandher Devi temple to undertake the annual pilgrimage on the full moon day .

Naina Devi Temple August 3, 2008.Over 150 people, mainly women and children, died at Naina Devi Temple in Himachal Pradesh in a stampede. The incident took place after a rain shelter collapsed, which worshipers mistakenly took to be a landslide. There were as many as 3000 devotees at the temple in the holy month of Shraavana.

Chamunda Devi Temple September 30, 2008.A human stampede occurred at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur, in which 224 people were killed and more than 425 injured. The 15th-century temple is dedicated to the goddess Chamunda Devi and is located within the premises of Mehrangarh Fort. The reason was mentioned for this huge unfateful incident that there was a rumour of a bomb going off. More than 10,000 people had turned up at the famous temple for a darshan of the Hindu goddess.

Ram Janki Temple March 4, 2010.Nearly 63 people were killed and 15 injured when a gate at Kripalu Maharaj's Ashram at Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh collapsed during distribution of food on the occasion of a ritual. The incident occurred as 10,000 people attended the temple to receive free items, such as clothes and food, on the first anniversary of the death of the wife of Kripalu Maharaj. Official data show that there were at least 37 children and 26 women, who collapsed onto their children and were trampled themselves. There are no reports of any deaths or injuries to men.

Sabarimala Temple January 15, 2011.The 2011 Sabarimala stampede was a human stampede that broke out during an annual pilgrimage, killing 106 pilgrims and injuring about 100 more. The pilgrims were returning from a shrine on the last day of a yearly festival which attracts millions of devotees. The tragedy occurred when a jeep carrying pilgrims ran into a crowd and fell to the ground, killing some on the spot and causing the stampede. Majority of the deceased were from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Ratangarh Mata Temple October 14, 2013.91 people were killed in a stampede at the Ratangarh Mata Temple in Datia, Madhya Pradesh. The incident took place during the Navratri. The stampede was caused by rumours that a bridge they were crossing was about to collapse.