‘Yamaraja’ conducts long jump competition on pothole-ridden road in Karnataka’s Udupi, takes social media by storm

Chandigarh, August 28

A video featuring a man dressed as ‘Yamaraja,’ the Hindu God of Death, conducting a long jump competition on a pothole-ridden road in Karnataka’s Udupi has taken social media by storm.

The protest, staged on Adi Udupi-Malpe road, was aimed at drawing attention to the condition of the roads, which have become a hazard for locals. The road, which connects Udupi to the popular tourist destination Malpe Beach, is full of potholes, making the event both humorous and critical.

Yamaraja conducts long jump competition for the dead in Udupi, Karnataka. pic.twitter.com/MLBxCuZoZn

— Karthik Reddy (@bykarthikreddy) August 27, 2024

An X user @bykarthikreddy shared the video on the social media platform. It shows ‘Yamaraja’ in full traditional attire, overseeing the long jump event where participants dressed as ghosts attempt to leap over the potholes. Assisting ‘Yamaraj’ is a man dressed as ‘Chitragupta,’ the Hindu deity who records the deeds of the dead, who helps measure the jumps.

The video was shared on Tuesday. Since then, social media users have flooded the comment section.

‘Why are Corporators, MLA and MP of Udupi not taking up the issue with the authorities?’ a user asked.

‘Bangalore too needs them,’ wrote another.

‘Hilarious and satirical,’ said a third user.

Meanwhile, a similar incident took place earlier this year in Hyderabad, where a woman sat in a pothole filled with muddy water to bring attention to the poor road conditions in her area. Her placard questioned the use of road and municipal taxes and read, ‘Where is our road tax and municipal tax?’