The Kulasai Dasara Festival, celebrated each year in the coastal town of Kulasekarapattinam (Kulasai) in Tamil Nadu, is one of India's most visually extraordinary religious festivals. Thousands of devotees undertake vows and transform themselves into deities, mythological figures, saints, and spirits before offering their prayers at the Mutharamman Temple.
Photographed over multiple years, this long-term documentary project follows the festival from its preparations to its climactic rituals, documenting moments of devotion, transformation, and community. Through candid observations of people, processions, and everyday interactions, the photographs explore the energy and cultural significance of a tradition that continues to thrive as part of Tamil Nadu's living heritage.
