Kulasai Dasara: Traditional festival in Tamil Nadu honors Goddess Mutharamman

Kulasai Dasara is a ten-day cultural and religious festival held at the 300-year-old Sri Mutharaman Temple in Kulasekharapatnam, located in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu. The celebration honors Goddess Mutharamman, a fierce form of Goddess Kali, commemorating her victory over the demon Magisasuran.

A central tradition of the festival is ‘Vesham’, where devotees dress in elaborate costumes to represent various deities, mythical characters, kings, or demons as an act of gratitude. These transformations often involve intricate body paint and symbolic ornaments.

During the festivities, many devotees enter a trance-like state, believed to be a form of divine possession, where they dance and speak as if the deity is communicating through them. The festival typically aligns with the Navaratri period and follows specific rituals, including periods of vows such as vegetarianism and prayer.