Chamayavilakku ~ an offering to god where men dressed up as women

The Kottankulangara Chamayavilakku Festival is an annual Hindu festival in Kerala, India in which thousands of men dress as women to get the blessing of Devi to get fulfill their desires. The festival takes place at the Kottankulangara Devi Temple at Chavara near Kollam, which is sacred to the goddess Bhagavathy. Every year this festival is celebrated on the 10th and 11th day of...

Talakad ~ temples buried under sand

Talakad (Talkad, Talakadu) knows as Dalavanapura and Gajaranya in sanskrit, was the capital of the Gangas, who ruled present Mysore, Mandya, Hassan, Bangalore and Kolar districts from the fourth to tenth centuary A.D. The Gangas were succeeded by the imperial Cholas, Hoysalas, Vijayanagara and the Mysore Wodeyars. It’s unbelievable that the historic site, Talakad once had over 30 temples that today are buried in...

Abode of digambaras ~ infront of Bahubali

It was amazing to stand infront of the 57-feet tall magnificient monolithic statue of Gommateshvara Bahubali at Shravanbelagola. Gommateswara statue is considered as world’s largest monolithic stone statue. Every twelve years, thousands of devotees gather here to perform the Mahamastakabhisheka, a spectacular ceremony in which the statue is covered with milk, curds, ghee, saffron and gold coins. The next ceremony will take place in...

The look

It’s very interesting to see and meet people while travelling. I am always fascinated with their expressions and the way they deal with daily life. Here are some of the portraits taken during my wanderlust days in Karnataka.  

Dance of god

Theyyam is a traditional art form of Kerala which incorporates dance, music and enshrines the fundamentals of ancient tribal cultures which attached great importance to the worship of heroes and the spirits of ancestors.  The staging area of Theyyam is known as Kaavu. Theyyam is also performed at home (Tharavadu) and fields. Theyyam’ performers belong to one of the Hindu communities (Malayan, Vannan, Velan etc.)....