The Hindu Milk Miracle

On September 21, 1995, something strange started happening in India: statues of Hindu gods began to drink milk. One worshipper offered a spoonful of milk to a statue of Lord Ganesha, and the milk apparently disappeared as if the statue was drinking it. News spread across the nation (and then the world), with Hindus flocking to temples and feeding milk to statues. The event was widespread in temples around the world, but, oddly enough, seemed to end within a matter of hours -- in most places, it stopped the same day that it started. Media attention was intense, including coverage at the New York Times and the BBC.

The phenomenon occurred again in August 2006, causing a fresh round of media attention -- and a fresh round of skepticism.

During the original event, scientists tested the miracle by "feeding" milk containing food coloring to statues in a New Delhi temple. They hypothesized that the milk was being pulled from spoons via capillary action, and in fact was running down the front of the statue rather than disappearing. Video of the "miracle" seems to support this hypothesis, with many clear examples of milk running down the front of statues, and pools of milk around statues. See for yourself in this YouTube video:

Despite the scientific explanation, many believers still regard it as a miracle. See, for example, milkmiracle.com, which includes video, a guestbook, and an FAQ. Skeptics see the incident as an example of mass hysteria. See Wikipedia on the Hindu Milk Miracle for more information.