Photo Credits: Mr. Vijay Mampilly

It’s amazing how often dreams have become reality during my trip to India as a Raxa Collective Management trainee in Thekaddy! In Ghana I have seen religious tribal festivals and seen pictures of the Indian versions in magazines and movies. But it was incredible to have the firsthand experience of seeing devotees as more than masqueraders or people in carefree disguise.

The Devi Temple festival procession–beautiful, colourful and sometimes slightly otherworldly–passed right in front of the Cardamom County entrance gate. I was thrilled to see hundreds of people dressed up in festive mood, joyfully drumming and dancing in convoy following the Devi Shrine toward the gates of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. In Kerala the 3-day Devi Temple festival takes place during the month of April. I was fascinated to learn that the ceremonial holiday has nothing to do with tourist seasons and everything to do the Malayalam calendar and local culture. I hadn’t believed that the religious ecstasy of Devi Festivals that I’d seen in movies was real, and certainly had never expected to see it right at my doorstep.

The festival is organised by the Malayalee tribes together annually to invoke blessings on themselves at the entrance of Periyar Tiger National Park.