VELLORE: As the sun set on Wednesday, the land near the Palar River and the graveyard at New Bus Stand came alive with bright colours. Wearing a red bindi, 58-year-old Siva Shakthi, a resident of Old Town, carefully painted a blue shade over the massive mud structure of goddess Angalaparameshwari. Beside her, U Kishore Kumar, another resident, added red to the goddess’s features.
Across the graveyard, similar towering sculptures have been taking shape, built by residents of various neighbourhoods, including Viruthampattu, Makkan, and Thottapalayam. The heights of these sculptures range from 10 to 50 feet. They were being prepared for Thursday’s Mayana Kollai festival. Nearby, more people were cleaning the cemeteries of their loved ones and giving them a fresh coat of paint.
Kishore Kumar explained that each neighbourhood ensures its sculpture stands apart. “We always use different colours from the sculptures of our neighbours. Every year, it’s a new look. The sculptures are made with clay from potters, and they do the work themselves,” he said. Siva Shakthi, who has been involved in making these sculptures for years, said they began work on Tuesday morning and finished by Wednesday afternoon. “Each part is made separately and then joined together. We always start with the legs,” she said. In all, there were around six mammoth structures of the Amman.
The festival takes place the day after Shivaratri, with different legends surrounding its origins.