Shot @ Phu Palaki Fair, Ulsoor, Bangalore, April, 2008.

A palaki or pallaki is a poled, suspended chair used to carry maharajas or sahibs. We suspect Happy Phu Palaki is related. It is a tradition at Hindu temples to employ a chariot in which the idol is transported. The famed stone chariot of the ancient temple complex of Hampi is a good example of the deep roots of this tradition.

Once the idols were in their chariots, devotees gathered with drums and horns. The drumming is frenetic as is the responsive gyrations of the faithful. You can feel the drum reverberations in the air pressing about your body. It is a spectacle without equal.