Poorotsavam: A Unique Festival in North Kerala

Summer months in North Kerala is the time of festivals. If you are ready to brave the hot and humid conditions, ready to burn midnight oil, you will be rewarded with the best of experiences …

Poorotsavam is yet another unique festival celebrated in Northern Kerala to invoke the blessings of lord Kamadeva (Cupid) by young girls.

It’s a nine day festival and on the last day, a flower carpet is created with locally collected flowers. Velichappad or Pothi, a possessed one, visits houses and blesses devotees.

There are many other rituals and dance forms associated with Pooram (Poorotsavam) during all these days and the ambience is filled with sounds, lights and the fragrance of flowers…

Have a look at some of the images from this festival and thank you for your time 🙂

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The Story Behind: Vishnumurthy Thottam

I have countless posts on Theyyams here, but none on the ‘Thottam Pattu’…

Each Theyyam performance is preceded by it’s Thottam, where the theyyam artist, with minimal make up, recites the story of theyyam.

Vishnumurthy theyyam is one of the most important and common theyyam performed as it’s based on lord Vishnu’s fourth avatar (incarnation), Narasimha.

The performance is so intense that, we get the true intensity of violence as the story unfolds.

The story is enacted on the following day without any recitation but with the rhythmic drum beats manipulating each step of the theyyam …

Let you be, your inspiration…

The story behind: Theyyam Makeup

Welcome to the ‘Mystic North Kerala’…

We are in the middle of yet another Theyyam season, vibrant days and nights… filled to the brim with drum beats and saturated colors.

Sleepless nights are well compensated by the divine dance of the Theyyams …

Theyyam make up is always interesting as it’s very much part of the transformation process, in which meager mortals become immortals, though, for a few hours.

Let me share a few images which I captured last week, while organizing a festival tour for our wonderful guests from Germany, Hans and Lilo.

 

Wordless Wednesday: Pure Joy

WPC: ‘Quest’ for glory, Mangalassery Jalotsavam

Yet another Onam season and one more edition of ‘Jalotsavam’ or the ‘Vallamkali (Country boat race)’ in North Kerala…

I had been to here last time and shared my experiences here in my post…

Unlike it’s more famed cousins of south Kerala like Aranmula Vallamkali where the traditional snake boat race in the vast backwaters happens , it’s organised in Kuppam river by ‘Navodaya Club‘ with stunning natural settings…

Slowly people have started watching with great passion and sinking in the spirit of Vallamkali…

Local clubs have now become more competent and the races are fought with intensity.

Still visitors have an upper hand due to their experience and fine tuned techniques and the local teams are still pursuing their Quest for glory…

This time, I watched most of the race from a nearby hilltop and we had yet another great evening …

Quest

Wordless Wednesday: Tempting …

Weekly Photo Challenge: Orange, Theyyam Make Up

Thinking about Orange, the first thing that comes to my mind is “Theyyam”… and probably the only thing 🙂

Let me share an image of this incredible ritual dance from God’s Own Country, Kerala…

Orange you glad it’s photo challenge time?

Weekly Photo Challenge: Rule of Thirds

There is something really interesting about rules in Photography.

You don’t have to learn these rules and apply them. Once you start taking visually appealing images by practice, you would have already followed them unknowingly, “The Rule of Thirds” is one of the best example.

Let me share a few images taken during my travels in South India (Mainly Karnataka and Kerala).

Rule of Thirds

Wordless Wednesday: Take a Plunge