Veera-Shaiva community ritual -Guggalaa

As part the marriage ritual, devotees pierce a long needle through lips, tongue and cheek.

Veer-shaiva community people have been following this practice of performing a ritual during marriage to show gratitude to the god.

The marrying couples have to participate along with family members and parents in the ceremony.

The god servants those lead the ritual, praise god and laud about his incarnation.

A typical village woman

When I asked her about the bigger Sindhur which she had worn on her forehead, she said It is auspicious and expresses a woman's desire for a longer life for their husband.

ನವಲಗುಂದ ರಾಮಲಿಂಗ ಕಾಮಣ್ಣ

This god is worshipped during holy festival.
The statue of this god has an ancient history.
It is very attractive, the color of the idol never faded though used for many years.
After the festival they preserve statue in a safe place till next year’s festival.

Surrounding people gather here on the festival day to take god’s blessing and to have a glimpse of this beautiful and attractive idol of holy god (kamanna).
There is a belief that those who worship this god would be blessed with brave kids.

Wandering people

They never bother about tomorrow.
They keep moving from one place to another.
They generally follow traditional method of profession to lead life.
Usually they take shelter in tent or prepare to dwell in open space.
They earn their livelihood by dancing, singing, fortune telling and performing different kind of shows in front of crowd or in villages.
They move along with basic necessities like tent materials, donkey or horse and a cart.

Don’t know how they manage to live in rainy and winter season.

They are wanderers, who move from one place to another.

A scary place, where I drowned once

Can’t believe that I used to swim in this place, when I was about 10 yr old.
I had once drowned here and rescued by a farmer who was working near adjacent field.

In spite of this scary incident, I went on learning swimming and finally learnt it.

Working women at field

When asked them to pose for a photo, some of them were ready and others were shy to pose.

Goddess Malemma

Farmers are the devotees of this goddess.
There is a belief that on praying to this goddess they receive sufficient rainfall.
So the goddess name (Malemma) resembles rain goddess.