Day 14: Naal utsavam, Carrying annam to bakasura (bakasuranukku annam kondu porkkuthal)
*Sunday Aug 2 Panchali alankaram. Usually it’s Angala Parameswari on this day but it was decided otherwise this year. Partibhan’s mother said Andal alankaram but that wasn’t so even though it’s recorded as such in photos.
*5-6pm Veerappan Swami was doing his daily storytelling but at the Mariamman temple near the clock tower in Muthialpet. Stories of Bakasura. Right when he was done, you could hear the approach of the procession from Droupadi Amma, led by the man with the Parai and the Sunddu Kucchi-Adi Kucchi. No other instruments. Everyone came walking except the priest’s teacher friend (I think they returned together). The women at the temple had clearly been waiting for this. Big drums of sambar saadam and everyone had dabbas and bowls to take some. Chaos. Fight broke out between local boys, threatened to get big — fitting, for a bakasura feeding. I got scolded for not caring about that and taking photos. All the ladies were very kind and posed when I asked to take photos. The men doing the doling out, too. Simple little deeparadhanai, and then the doling continued, this time off the thattu vandi. When it was done – it was done. I walked back home with the thattu vandi.