'Fire dance' - Veerabhadra This photograph was shot while I was documenting the Veerabhadra festival happening in Ponda. The performance happens during the night on an open road near the Vothoba temple. The road is been closed for the traffic as the crowd during this performance goes crazy. The Veerbhadra is the festival of performance in an entirely South Indian style. One actor is made up to represent Veerbhadra, who according to Hindu mythology, was created from the matted hair of Shiva at the time of devastation of Daksha’s sacrifice. He dances with two swords / fire in his hands, two main supporters dance at his side, and a whole group supports them with dancing and musically timed shouts. The dhol and the tasha are the percussion accompaniments. On the night of the observance, the play Dakshakanya Sati is performed and towards the end, as a final part of the play, Veerbhadra enters. As soon as he does the characters run off the stage, leaving the actor to perform. The costumes are Kannada style and the turbans are Mysore style. The beat is marked during the dance in characteristically southern style with syllables such as 'tha-thai-ya, thaka-thai-ya'. Veerbhadra is performed once a year, as a religious observance, in some parts of Ponda district and some of Sanguem. Apart from these Veerbhadra is performed only in Sanquelim. Size - 3016 x 4016 pixels / 22.9mb Resolution - 300 dpi Format - JPG