Photographic Tale of the Week - Kali Avatar - Mutharamman, Kulasekarapatnam , India

Kali Avatar - Mutharamman, Kulasekarapatnam, India

Welcome back.
The bad news is there has been at least a month of photographs and stories that have gone by without acknowledgement. And, no matter how much I love the cover photo on the Pictures with a Story group, a new one needs to go up.
The good news? I have a brand new daughter, and I have now gathered together enough minutes out of the day to post the newest Photographic Tale of the Week. 
I didn't pick Kartik Kumar S's photo of a Kali Avatar because it's Halloween. The "costume" is the only similarity. Read the description of the photo to learn more about the Dasara celebrations in India, and check out Kartik's other photographs from the festival for other avatars. I expect my selection is no surprise - the beautifully composed foreground with the contrast of the back makes for an especially striking work of art. Thank you to Kartik for allowing me to celebrate his photo this week.

Here is Kartik's description:
Sri Mutharmman temple is located at Kulasekhara pattinam village near Tiruchendur 55 km south of Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu, India) on the East coast Road en route to Kanya Kumari. The DASARA celebrations in September/October every year are second to that of Mysore (Kanataka,India). The uniqueness and oddity of the festival is that the devotees need not spend from their pocket. They are expected to beg alms from door to door and a token offerings only is expected to be offered at shrine after meeting out their expenses. On the climatic day the sea shores of this otherwise deserted coastal village turns into veritable carnival of folk music and folk dance of the devotees in their chosen fancy dresses to either solicit the grace of or to thank for the boon granted by presiding deity sri Muthramman considered to be the incarnation of SAKTHI the consort of LORD SHIVA in Hinduism. More than 1.5 million people gather here year after year on the tenth day after new moon day in the month purattasi (September/October) according to the Tamil calendar.