Day 8: Naal Utsavam. After so much chasing, we finally managed to sit with the men doing the alankaram for the utsavar of Draupadi Amman for the four-odd hours they worked today. They turned Draupadi Amman into Mariamman today. It was fascinating to see the addition of limbs, body, chest– even if body proportions do get a little bit sacrificed. Not sure when these alankara traditions came into being or how they evolved. But this is about taking a small utsavar form and enlarging her so that She is ready for her vahana, which is usually many times her size. And it’s about creating recognisable forms, pathways by which the divine presence becomes accessible to those who can then know Her, at least outwardly like this.