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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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Gangasagar Mela 2023

 

After covid influence, this year a high surge in Gangasagar Mela devotees have been registered. Due to issues of fog in the morning, ferry service between Kakdwip and Kachuberia has been temporarily closed from night to morning on 14th and 15th January. However, with the help of 4 Berge movements and hundreds of vessel movements, the flow of huge gatherings has been maintained.

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All images are subject to copyright ©Swattik Jana

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