The Year It Rained Blood In Kerala

In a country as large and diverse in its landscape and terrain as India’s, strange and unexplainable natural phenomenon has become par for the course. Some, however, can be more terrifying to observe than others and of all the perplexing occurrences, there’s one that comes to mind every time the rains come around again. Between July 25 and September 23, locals looked up and watched in horror as blood poured down from the skies. Eventually titled ‘Red Rain,’ the experience left the state, scientists and meteorologists in shock. It turned out cases of red rain had been reported since 1896 over parts of Kerala and Sri Lanka on numerous occasions, most recently in 2013, and as expected, speculations and suspicions arose as to the reason behind the bloody downpour.

First thought to have been caused by a meteor burst, conspiracy theories and supernatural ones began flying around, many even citing literary references. Looking into classical literature you find a case of red rain in Homer’s Illiad, though this was in the 8th century BC so credibility here is a matter of doubt. All appearances of red rain were considered bad omens and grim forebodings, but at the end of the day these were a literary tool and with the advancing of science and further investigation, it was discovered that Kerala’s history with blood rain had less to do with curses and black magic, than it did the presence of a certain micro-organism called Trentepohlia annulata.

In a 2015 collaborated study  by Indian and Austrian scientists, the cause and effect of the red rain was finally established once and for all. In a paper published by Phylogenetics and Evolutionary Biology, researchers confirmed that the red colouring was caused by green microalgae, which was previously reported earlier only from Austria. Studying the DNA sequence of this particular species of spores which were found in Kerala and ones from Austria, the researchers found countless similarities and few differences. “The research confirmed the likelihood that the introduction happened through clouds over ocean--a phenomenon of intercontinental species dispersal previously reported for bacteria and fungi, but first time for alga,” stated Dr. Felix Bast, lead author of the research paper, as reported by The Hindu.

One wonders how an Austrian microalgae found itself in a cloud that drifted across the Arabian Sea and made its way to the Indian subcontinent. Addressing the same to The Hindu, Dr. Bast stated. “I would presume these spores might have got transported to the clouds by wind. We are planning to work with atmospheric scientists to sample intercontinental clouds to see what kind of organisms they transport.”

Kerala has long been hailed as a land of great beauty, pristine beaches, lush trees and perpetual greenery, so when the expected seasonal monsoon turned out to be a crimson-coloured downpour, it’s no surprise that the people panicked. While some people to this day continue to believe this to be an act of supernatural forces and alien invasions, this once-mysterious natural phenomenon was finally explained.

Click here to read the complete research paper by Felix Bast, Satej Bhushan, Aijaz Ahmad John, Jackson Achankunju, Nadaraja Panikkar, Christina Hametner and Elfriede Stocker. 

We’ve collated other intriguing natural phenomenon you can witness right here in India, click here to check them out. 

Feature image via India Times