Kataragama fire-walking ritual (Theemithi): red-hot tamarind wood embers and physiological foot soles?

The fire-walking ceremony (Theemithi) at Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya takes place during the annual festival in July. Devotees cross a glowing trench of coals measuring 8 meters long. The fire pit is fueled exclusively by split logs of wild tamarind (Tamarindus indica / Siyambala) and ironwood (Manilkara), which burn down to dense, ash-coated coals glowing at 450°C to 500°C without flare flames. Physicists and physiologists note that devotees walk briskly, keeping individual foot contact below 0.5 seconds per step. A thin layer of insulating thermal ash, combined with thickened calloused soles and psychological trance states that suppress sweat-gland perspiration, prevents tissue burn blisters.