This is the launch of a new series – the photographic documentation of the ancient Vetal idols of Goa. A few images have been included in earlier posts; those and the ones to follow are now consolidated at this link.

In the village of Amona, the idol is fitted with a gleaming shell and wrapped in colourful vestments.

Vetal of Amona, Goa
5D, 24-105L

The ancient deity of Vetal, its iconography and associated rituals, are important elements of, and unique to, Goa‘s Hindu tradition. The deity was most likely worshipped by the Austric Gauda tribe, Goa‘s earliest settlers, and later embraced by the Nath Panthis between the 10th & 13th C. Eventually it came to be absorbed into the larger Hindu pantheon. Details of the Vetal mythos are here.

A mere 50 or so out of the hundreds of ancient Vetal sites in Goa survived the iconoclasm by the Portuguese. Every single site in the Bardez and Tiswadi talukas was destroyed. For instance, before the foreign invasion, the village of Taleigao was a strong centre of Vetal worship, but I doubt you will find a single current resident of the area with any memory of this past.

The Vetal praxis serves to define the circumference of Goa‘s cultural influence which extends beyond its current geographic borders. Vetal worship is prevalent in the Sindhudurg district of southern Maharashthra and unsurprisingly, the people there have strong emotional and cultural bonds to Goa.

Traditionally the images of Vetal were cast out in the open with provision for a simple roof overhead. After all, as the village protector, he was expected to be out on his nightly patrol. To this day, offerings of footwear are made at his temples. Buffalo sacrifice was once common but is now far less so. Fowl and goat are still routinely offered (but don’t tell that to the malcontents from PETA).

The evolution of the depiction of the Vetal image itself is interesting. Traditionally, he preferred to go au naturel, and so the idols were displayed that way. But nowadays the ‘naked truth’ makes people somewhat uncomfortable, and therefore in several temples he has reluctantly taken to wearing the dhoti. (Reminds me of Bertrand Russell who wrote that whoever coined the phrase “the naked truth” must have perceived the connection that nakedness is shocking to most people, and so is truth.)

During the years 2006-2008, I set off on Vetal‘s spoor and checked off 45 of the surviving old sites in Goa (around 5 still to go). I scored many delightful images, confirming the televangelical geezer Pat Robertson‘s view that we Hindus are indeed worshippers of the devil (nothing gives me more pleasure than spending quality time with the devil).

Vetal temple at Amona
5D, 24-105L

Keri is a small village in Goa, around 15 kms east of the capital Panjim. It is sometimes spelled Querim, the trailing ‘m’ denoting the nasal phonetic characteristic of Konkani syllables. Since there are at least 3 other villages in Goa bearing the same name, the ambiguity is removed by calling it Keri-Ponda, after the taluka in which it is located..

Kesarbai refers to the legendary musician Kesarbai Kerkar who was born and raised in Keri. Go here for an introduction to this rara avis and her extraordinary artistry. Kesarbai‘s recording of Raga Bhairavi was among the selections of music put on the Voyager Golden Record carried aboard the Voyager spacecraft launched by NASA in 1977, now a wanderer in the far reaches of interstellar space.

The predominantly Hindu settlement of Keri is the archetypal hinterland Goan village. Ringed by hills, fortified by forests, graced by beautiful temples, soothed by birdsong, it still clings to the zeitgeist of a Goa that is fast disappearing. Idylls like these are on their last legs given the march of destruction development.

In this photo essay I concern myself with some ‘objects’ encountered on a couple of rainy mornings in Keri earlier in July.

Kesarbai was born in this house that is now occupied by her brother’s progeny. This framing minimizes intrusion of the thicket of electric power lines crisscrossing its façade.

Kesarbai Kerkar's house in Keri, Goa
5D Mark II, TS-E 17L

Fresh rain and cloud cover accentuate the colours of the beautiful temple of Goddess Vijayadurga. Notice the deep reds of the kaavi artwork (sgraffito) beneath the sloping roof of the mandap. Unfortunately, most of the detail is lost in the reduced image size required for web display.

Temple of Goddess Vijayadurga
5D Mark II, 24-105L

The old temple of Vetal, now in the crosshairs of some villagers who want to demolish it and erect a new pile of concrete doo-doo in its stead (‘development’ !). What it really needs is restoration. One can only pray for divine intervention.

Vetal temple
5D Mark II, 24-105L

This ancient image of Vetal is imposing, probably the tallest (over 7 feet) in active worship in Goa.

Vetal of Keri
5D Mark II, 24-105L

One of the carved wooden pillars in the Vetal temple
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Off to school with grandma
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

Raghoba Naik runs a traditional convenience stall by the Vetal temple. He is a type that seems to exist only in works of fiction, someone who has very little yet who owns the world. The oft-heard Atithi Devo Bhava has become a meaningless cant in India, but not in Raghoba‘s world. No outsider to the village is released without a cup of tea and snacks. It would be considered an act of rank discourtesy to ask about payment for the goodies.

Raghoba Naik at his stall
5D Mark II, 24-105L

Raghoba Naik of Keri
5D Mark II, 70-200L f/2.8 IS II

The village of Chopdem in north Goa has little of interest to detain the I Luv Goa T-shirt-flaunting visitor. But for the more discerning there are opportunities to be explored in a quiet and languid setting.

The old temple of Bhoomika – a form of Shakti, the Mother Goddess – is set by the main road cleaving through the village, and on this overcast monsoon morning the fresh coat of bold colours resting on a bed of green ensnared my lens.

Temple of Goddess Bhoomika in Chopdem, Goa
5D Mark II, TS-E 24L II

The ancient deity of Vetal, its iconography and associated rituals, are important elements of – and perhaps unique to – Goa‘s Hindu tradition. Only 50 of the ancient Vetal sites^* in the whole of Goa survived the destruction by the Portuguese, none at all in the Bardez and Tiswadi talukas. During 2006-2008 I went off on Vetal‘s spoor, photographically documenting 45 of these sites (5 still to go). I expect to get around to posting them by and by.

^*Traditionally, Vetal images were cast out in the open with only a roof overhead provided for shelter. He was, after all, expected to be on his nightly rounds in his role as the village’s protector-in-chief.

Vetal-bab of Chopdem happens to be quite an arresting dude.

Image of Vetal in Chopdem
5D Mark II, 24-105L

The tiny village of Mauxi (pronounced “Mao-shi”) lies in the densely forested and as yet unmolested taluka of Sattari in northeastern Goa. I set out very early one morning from Panjim for the 60 or so minutes drive to sample sunrise in Mauxi and its pastoral purlieus. These tranquil settings and experiences, not long ago readily accessible, are becoming increasingly scarce in a Goa that is fast becoming uncivilized. As we shall see, even in this fairly remote settlement, unmarked on most maps of Goa, there are surprising delights to be found for the discerning.

Sunrise in Mauxi, Goa
5D, 24-105L

Nearby in a grove and out in the open lie ancient sculptures, among them an exquisite Vetal, au naturel.

Vetal in Mauxi, Goa
5D, 70-200L f/2.8 IS

The villagers then point me to a mass of rocks bearing prehistoric petroglyphs, unmarked and with no official protection. Only the recent intervention of a committed Goan environmentalist – Rajendra Kerkar – has alerted the villagers to the significance of this site.

Prehistoric rock art in Mauxi, Goa
5D, 24-105L

Close-up of prehistoric rock art in Mauxi, Goa
5D, 24-105L