147 people spontaneously reincarnated today in a beautiful Hindu ceremonial ritual involving crowds of people running around, screaming, and stepping on one another.

From Reuters here:

At least 147 people died in a stampede at a temple in the Indian desert state of Rajasthan as Hindus gathered to begin one of the most important religious festivals of the year.

A handful of people fell while climbing a steep slope toward the Chamunda temple, sited inside a hilltop fort near the city of Jodhpur, triggering the crush.

“People were falling over one another. Many ran but were trampled under the feet of thousands,” a witness said.  Other witnesses said too many people were trying to pass through a narrow part of the climb at the same time. Many suffocated after they fell.

The crowds were especially large Tuesday, as pilgrims gathered for the start of the nine-day Navratri festival.

In India, stampedes are relatively common at temples, where thousands of people gather to pray during festivals and police fail to control the surging worshippers.

Last month, a similar crush outside a Hindu temple in the mountains of northern India killed at least 145 pilgrims.  In January 2005, at least 265 Hindu pilgrims, including several women and children, were killed in a stampede near a remote temple in Maharashtra state.

According to Hindu traditions of Karma, these guys had it coming for something bad they did, maybe in a former life as a squirrel who hoarded too many nuts.  But for religious stampedes, nothing beats the Hajj.

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