Documenting Karnataka's Living Folk Traditions

Participants at a Kambala event in Mangalore, leading their prized buffaloes. This folk sport is a celebration of the agrarian community's bond with their animals and land.

The 'Hase Karaga' emerges, a moment of intense devotion during the Bengaluru Karaga festival. My fieldwork involves documenting the intricate rituals and stories behind these urban and rural traditions.

A Soliga tribal priest walking on a bed of hot coals during the 'Roti Habba' at Biligiri Rangana Betta. This ritual of faith is a powerful testament to their connection with nature and their deities.

The surviving painted ceiling panel at the Virupaksha temple in Hampi. My research involves studying not just dance, but also the allied arts like painting and sculpture that provide context to our traditions.

A traditional Kavadi, an embellished bamboo structure carried by devotees in Palani. My journey with Kavadi Attam began in school, and visiting its place of origin was a full-circle moment.

A vibrant Nagamandala, a sacred geometric pattern drawn on the ground for the worship of the serpent gods in the Tulu Nadu region. These mandalas are complex spiritual and mathematical representations.

The traditional 'bugdi' earring of a local lady in Kallur village. My travel logs often focus on these small but significant details of adornment, costume, and culture that tell a larger story.

A 'patri' possessed by the Naga daiva during a Nagamandala ritual, his face smeared with the intoxicating 'hombale' flower. This is a raw, powerful form of worship that I document.

The Nagamandala ritual in progress, with the patri and vaidyas dancing in circles to invoke the serpent deity. The movements are codified and symbolic.