Day 3 Alankara is Mohini – reclining, eyes half closed. We watch the form-making, which the priest is not happy with so he undoes and redoes it before we come back for the face-making, which we document fully. Lots of talk today about body proportions, how to bring them about, what shape of face with what posture works best, and so on. Face colour was achieved with kesari colour today! The regular tints etc. are not satisfying. Ambal remained more visible and therefore more present in the alankara process today, thanks to the side-leaning posture of Mohini:”Aadhara shakti aa nikkaraa, Ambal” said the priest.
Video of Meenakshi alankara went up today, too. Thought of including the priests’ names in the view as they are the ones doing the alankaram. But remembered Arasoo mama from the Vedapuriswara koyil. I asked him one of those Aadi Fridays when Ambal is all decked up in chandana kaapu alankaram, who had done this beautiful alankaram. But he replied, while going down the aisle with the kunkumam: "when you ask a question like that, we will always say that 'we have done it.'" Authority and attribution just work very differently in temple spaces. One tends to attribute the only authority to the Divine presence there–He called me so I came, She told me how to wrap this thread, He gives me guidance to make this alankara. This transferral makes common acknowledgements focused on the individual and his or her specific skills or achievements ill-fitting, and even problematic.