Villagers on excursion, a photo from Tamil Nadu, South

Photographer's Note

I didn't know these people, but their traditional style of dressing indicates to me that they were living in the countryside, in a village or a small town. Now they had come for a small pilgrimage and were in a good mood.

I took this somewhere on a sacred hill at Tirukkalikundram (also known as Tirukazhukundram), fourteen kilometres from Mahabalipuram (also known as Mamallapuram) in Tamil Nadu state, where I spent several days in the autumn of 1987.

If you are amazed to see them all barefoot, it's not because they traditionally never wore shoes or sandals. This was regarded as part of a temple compound, so I was barefoot too. It was a steep staircase of 550 uncomfortable steps to reach a plateau on top of a hill (you can see it in a WS).

Here is a photo showing pilgrims coming down the staircase:
https://www.trekearth.com/viewphotos.php?l=7&p=1159203

There was a dark temple, open to all visitors, on the hilltop, but the main attraction was to see a Hindu priest feed a kite or two, usually arriving here about noon most days. According to the legend the birds stop for lunch here on their daily flight from Varanasi in northern India to Rameswaram at the country's southern tip.

I am fairly convinced they never left the surrounding area, where they knew that food was always easily available.

I have earlier posted as a WS a not very good photo of a bird being fed by a priest. You will find the link to it here:
https://www.trekearth.com/workshops/1161127/photo171221.htm

Another nothing special photo of a crowd inside the entrance to the compound is in the WS. There is also a photo of the hill as seen from the street. They were all scanned from Kodachrome slides.

ikeharel, Fis2, ChrisJ, Royaldevon, pierrefonds, jhm, adramad, PaulVDV, jean113, ricardomattos, COSTANTINO has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ikeharel (106381) 2021-02-12 0:40

Good morning Gert,
Three people's pictures from Tamil-Nadu region, long ago, daily life par-excellence.
Chosen well the main post, some are smiling while other's listening to the conversation going on.
Cheers for that one, have a nice new day,
Ike

Fis2 (156736) 2021-02-12 1:06

Witaj Gert my neighbour today again :)!
Another interesting set of photos from everyday life.
I like frames, colors and light.
Excellent presentation.
Nice day.
Krzysztof

ChrisJ (161132) 2021-02-12 1:30

Hej Gert

A pleasant diffused light with good sharpness and you've captured the attention of the woman in the centre of the group. Looks like the foundations at left are subsiding with the tilted stairs and lean to the left, but that's not your fault. The luxuriant tropical vegetation makes a nice backdrop. Tfs!

pajaran (103677) 2021-02-12 2:08

Pozdrav.
Lep pogled i trenutak, dobar tekst ...
Lepo okupljanje, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i uhvacenim trenutkom.
Dobar rad sa lepim fotografijama u radionici.
Zelim vam lep dan, sve najbolje za vikend.
Paja.

Royaldevon (76708) 2021-02-12 3:29

Hello Gert,

I do enjoy studying your photographs which a like a time capsule. Maybe, the small, village groups have remained the same but I doubt it, technology moves quickly in developing countries.
This building looks very old but a very popular meeting place, revealing close interaction between this group. I wonder what they thought of you, dressed differently and pointing a camera at them!

I like the w/s where the huge crowd has gathered. You did well to include so many people and capture the atmosphere, the focus being on the Hindu priest at the foot of the hill.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

Silvio1953 (206997) 2021-02-12 4:04

Ciao Gert, interesting scene with a lot of people, fine details, wonderful colors, excellent clarity and splendid light, very well done, my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

pierrefonds (104458) 2021-02-12 4:50

Hi Gert,

You have captured well the persons enjoying a rest period. The point of view is showing the details of the trres and of the clothings of the persons. The light has a good effect on the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

jhm (203975) 2021-02-12 8:08

Hello Gert,

It seems a big conference between men and women
This create very nice group picture, also a rural area in background.
Nice composition and presentation.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

everlasting (18002) 2021-02-12 8:14

I would also guess at them coming in from the countryside, perhaps by their clothing Maharashtra, a nice group photo and well scanned image

jmdias (103906) 2021-02-12 11:17

gert

I liked these three images. the main post is more clean and concentrated in the personages while the first WS has a special vertical view from the area. these religious pilgrimages are usual here in my town for catholic sanctuaries far from here or even some few closer. I guess europe lost a big part of this usage, I mean, going in a group for religious purposes only.

take care

jorge

Tue (83018) 2021-02-12 11:28

Hej Gert,
Et godt billede med menneskerne på udflugt til templet, der sidder tilsammen her på trappetrinnene med mændene klædt i hvidt og kvinderne i mere farverigt tøj. Du fangede dem godt med de grønne træer i baggrunden.
Lars

adramad (67600) 2021-02-12 11:40

Hi Gert,
Well, here you have captured a small group very calm and very coordinated in their white djellaba, some color in the saris, but in the photos of the WS it is a real crowd of Indian tourists hiking in their country.
My excessive people in one place stresses me out a lot.
Very effective coloring, which highlights the details of the image.
Good management, both in terms of brightness and sharpness.
Very well done. I like.
Enjoy the weekend.
My best wishes for you.
Luis

GyurMaster (21755) 2021-02-12 12:10

Dear Gert,

I would say that again, you provided us with multiple nothing specials. My faves for both of them. I like WS2 just as I like the main upload. I would have bought it as a main upload as well with is multiples spaces. WS1 is a nice. On the main upload the barefoot people are a main attraction. Today I was in Eger and managed to catch a women sitting barefoot. It was some -10 Celius... She looked like a kind of tourist resting her feet after her boot. I will show it soon. :)

Best Wishes,
Gy.

PS: Thank you for your kind words on my latest Egret shot.

PaulVDV (55531) 2021-02-12 12:17

Hello Gert,
The temple on the hill turns out to be a very popular place. A lot of people want to go up barefoot.
As long as you can walk on stone, no problem for me, but gravel roads are a lot more unpleasant to go barefoot. Since the northeast monsoon brought rain in that time, it may have been muddy :)
The older man in the WS says 'Welcome to the stranger up there.'
Difficult choice for the main upload. The pictures are very interesting as a series.
Best regards, Paul

lousat (130599) 2021-02-12 12:18

Hi Gert,interesting views of this pilgrimage site during your Indian journey, many people and many groups, even if the staircase is very uncomfortable to walk barefoot. The colors of the WS are actually a bit strange, but they are all very colorful scenes and some mistakes were inevitable when using film. Have a nice and cold weekend,Luciano

ifege (33587) 2021-02-12 20:25

Hi Gert
Another good trio.
If these were taken today the organiser in the workshop would probably have a flag on a stick. An extra indicator of their rural origin would be all the bare feet.
cheers
Ian

emka (153354) 2021-02-12 23:53

Hello Gert, The changes in the cities names in India are so confusing. btw, in Wikipedia it is TirukalUkundram. Tirukazhukundram's name is derived from kazhughu, meaning eagle. At one time, two eagles soared above this Shiva hilltop temple every day at lunch time, and the priest at the temple gave them food as a ritual. According to legend, these eagles were not ordinary eagles, but two rishis whom a curse had transformed into birds. The legend also said that the eagles would stop coming to the temple during the Kali Yuga. The eagles have not been sighted in recent years, which is regarded as a sign that the Kali Yuga has begun.

There are interesting temples and I haven't been there! Why??
Nice picture. I like here that the men have here the traditional white cloths and even turbans. The girl on the right side has sandals.

I remember that sometimes the pavements were very hot and it was impossible to go bare feet on a hot day. Rather one should go early in the morning.
Have a nice weekend. We have still -9.
No vaccines available in Warsaw and we don't want to go to other cities far away.
Malgo

jean113 (22561) 2021-02-13 5:47

Hello Gert, three very interesting pictures, all worthy of being a main post, it must be difficult knowing which to select.
What is interesting is that no-one seems to be taking any notice of you and your camera, which makes the shots feel quite spontaneous, the people quite natural in their behaviour.
So you climbed the 550 steps, that sounds like hard work!
Very informative note.
Kind regards, Jean.

ricardomattos (15538) 2021-02-14 13:06

Hi Gert,

Você capturou uma cena descontraída destes peregrinos em uma conversa animada. Uma bela amostra do cotidiano religioso do sul da India. Belo trabalho !

Parabens

Ricardo

COSTANTINO (104999) 2021-02-14 23:07

Hello dear Gert and have a nice day
and a happy new week
so many people down there gathered
together and dressed in traditional
cloths...
I red your useful notes and their
traditional style of dressing
indicates that they were living
in the countryside...
regards
Costantino

kasianowak (15980) 2021-02-24 12:47

Hi Gert
I do prefer this as the main upload. It's a lovely dynamic scene. The people are seated by you can see they are interacting, talking, laughing. It's nice to see a mixed-gender group, it makes me sad when I see photos from Afghanistan of men only visiting mosques, trekking mountains etc.
The WS of course could be a main upload (but not instead of this one!) but you are ever so fussy about colours recently (although I do agree that temple wall was probably more beige than grey...). :-D
Best wishes
Kasia