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Beyond Ram and Ravana: The Living Gods of Kulasai Dussera

In the coastal village of Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu , faith takes on an earthly form during Kulasai Dussera . Here, gods and goddesses descend to dwell among men—not through idols, but through devotees who embody the divine in a spectacle of trance, transformation, and devotion unlike any other festival in India. As India celebrates Dussehra with fireworks and effigies of Ravana, over eight lakh devotees converge at the 300-year-old Arulmigu Mutharamman Temple , where the air hums with chants, drums, and the sound of transformation itself. A Festival of Transformation   The Kulasai Dussera, observed during  Navaratri , spans ten days and culminates in the dramatic  Soorasamharam , the slaying of the demon Mahishasura by Goddess Lalithambigai—an incarnation of  Mutharamman , the fierce guardian deity of the town. Unlike Dussehra elsewhere, where the focus is on the Ramayana, the myth here centers on  female divinity and creation’s power to restore mo...
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Street of Kolkata (color)

 


Nistar (Metiabruz)

Bosta potti (The Sack workers corner)

One peaceful evening

The Final Rice

Kolkata in rain

After match

Distance Relation

Recycling

A new hope

Waiting for the day 

Gameplan

The Life limit

Waiting for Another

A live theatre 

The Kolkata Byam Samity

Refreshment

Loneliness 1

Loneliness 2

The Coconut seller

Newspaper Reader

The Chattu Stall

The Meat Shop

Fish Market in Kolkata







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