Religious Shrines To Avoid In India

A look at recent deadly temple stampedes in India

2013-10-14 

Deadly stampedes occur frequently at temples in India, where large crowds gather in small areas with few safety or crowd control measures. Here are some of the deadliest stampedes at or near temples in recent years:
— January 2011: More than 100 people are killed in a stampede at the hilltop Sabarimala Hindu shrine in Kerala state in southern India.
— September 2008: About 250 Hindu pilgrims die in a stampede at the Chamunda Devi temple in the scenic Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur in northwestern India.
— August 2008: At least 140 people are killed in a stampede triggered by rumors of a rockslide at a hilltop Hindu temple in Himachal Pradesh in the Himalayan foothills in northern India.
— January 2005: More than 340 Hindu pilgrims die in a stampede during a pilgrimage to the remote Mandhar Devi temple in western Maharashtra state.
— August 2003: At least 40 pilgrims die and 125 are injured when devotees waiting to bathe topple over a flimsy fence, triggering a stampede at the Kumbh Mela bathing festival in Nasik in Maharashtra.