Portraits from the Hornbill Festival Nagaland
Also known as ‘The Land of Tribes‘, Nagaland has developed a striking yet mysterious image in our minds. There are about 66 Naga tribes and sub-tribes in Nagaland, its neighboring…
Celebrating the Festival of Dolls amid social distancing
Day 7 - I chose to capture the doll arrangement at home. The 10 day festival of Navratri is celebrated in various forms across India. In the Southern states of…
Bommai Kolu – Dussera Dolls
The display of dolls in households during Dussera is a tradition that is being followed over the last 500 years. This tradition was started during the reign of Vijayanagara dynasty, and the practice is famously known as ‘Bommai Kolu’, ‘ Bommala Koluvu’ or ‘Dussera Gombe‘. The tradition is very popular in some of the families in parts of the Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Vijaya Dashami – Victory of Good Over Evil
The culminating day of the nine day long festivity is marked with the celebration of Vijaya Dashami – the tenth day on which Goddess Maa (mother) Durga had her victory over the devil/demon. Celebrations take different forms in different parts of the country, ranging from worshiping the goddess Durga, to exhibiting colorful toys on the day of Bombe Habba in Karnataka (a glimpse of which you will see in the following post). Vijaya Dashami also sees the immersion of Durga deities, which are worshiped for nine days prior to Dussera.
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