Hookswinging

One of the more extreme vows performed by devotees (bhakta) of the god
Skanda during the annual pilgrimage at
Kataragama, in the southern part of the
island of Sri Lanka. This vow is performed in return for finding healing
from physical ailments or deliverance
from distress. Those keeping this vow
inserted hooks into their back and thigh
muscles; ropes are attached to these
hooks, and the devotees are suspended
over the heads of passersby.
These ardent devotees are reportedly
rewarded for their suffering with a state
of ecstasy in which they feel no pain and
suffer no bleeding. In this state, they are
also believed to be mouthpieces for the
god Skanda, and other pilgrims seek
their advice for every conceivable kind
of problem. For further information see
Paul Wirz, Kataragama: The Holiest
Place in Ceylon, 1966; and Bryan
Pfaffenberger, “The Kataragama
Pilgrimage,” in Journal of Asian Studies,
Vol. 28, No. 2, 1979.