When the skies showered red: Mystery of the Blood Rain in Kerala

The sight of blood is scary enough as it is. Can you imagine how uncanny it must have been to see red rain falling from the sky? From extraterrestrial origins to botanical explanations, the mysterious red rains of Kerala continue to be a point of fascination and nightmare.

When red water gushed down the streets of Kerala. Image source: Patrika

The residents of Kerala have experienced this phenomenon not once but multiple times. It was on the 15th of July 1957 that the unusual rains were recorded. Subsequently, this phenomenon occurred again in 2001 from the 25th of July to the 23rd of September. People living in the Wayanad and Malabar regions were undoubtedly perplexed and frightened.

Rain is transparent and we are immediately alerted when something drops from the sky. But in this case, the much-awaited monsoon brought in bloody red showers. One could only imagine what went through people's minds at the time.

Remember that the red rain did not continuously fall for two months. It was only during the first ten days that red water gushed through the streets. Red rain was irregular for the remaining two months.

It's undoubtedly a strange phenomenon, and one of the most complex ones. A few explanations have been put forward by scientists and environmentalists. However, nothing can precisely determine what caused the rain.

According to a research paper describing the Red Rain Phenomenon, the particles found here were distinct from those seen in dust storms. Upon examining the dried samples, scientists observed that the so-called "particles" were like unicellular organisms. Surprisingly, they showed no signs of dullness or decay even after years of being stored in water.

Initially, the Centre for Earth Science Studies proposed that the coloured rain was influenced by an "extraterrestrial" phenomenon wherein a meteor burst led to a dispersion of its matter. However, this theory was soon ruled out when the Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute issued a joint report stating that the colour change occurred due to the presence of lichen belonging to the Trentepohlia group, found abundantly in certain parts of Kerala. It was concluded that the spores found in the samples were similar to the lichen, and the heightened presence of the organism caused such a drastic colour change.

This theory seemed plausible, as the rain did not consist of sand, dust, blood, or other unusual particles that could raise suspicions. On the other hand, a result indicated that the dried drop samples contained DNA, and researchers from the UK confirmed the same.

But not all people rule out the extra-terrestrial theory. Patrick McCafferty studied the patterns and revealed that most of these unusual events happen when there is some disturbance or movement of comets in space. He mentioned that coloured rain could be a result of a meteor burst, and uncanny phenomena are usually noticed when a comet is passing by.

In 2003, Godfrey Louis and Santhosh Kumar came up with the Panspermia Theory (according to this theory, life originated in space and continues to be distributed by comets and meteors) in their paper, "The Red Rain Phenomenon." of Kerala and its possible extraterrestrial origin" to explain the red rains in Kerala. The theory garnered attention because the red samples found in the rain droplets could easily change, even at extremely high temperatures.

While other scientists have supported the panspermia phenomenon, not denying the presence of extraterrestrial life, the majority critique the theory as the researchers fail to explain why the particle matter from the meteor burst continued to fall only over Kerala and remain unaffected by the wind.

The sole reason for the formulation of the Panspermia theory is the absence of DNA findings in the drops.

However, while observing the patterns of coloured rain, researchers concluded that the colour change was caused by the presence of algal spores (particularly, Trentepohlia) in the environment.

Like many mysteries that continue to intrigue readers and researchers, red rain is an uncanny phenomenon whose occurrence can still not be explained clearly.