A hut across the street from Watunde Village temple
Another hut near the temple
Women & girls outside the temple await the end of the ceremony the men carry on inside
Village elder & youngsters in the temple courtyard also await the end of the ceremony
Inside the temple after the ceremony closes
This temple mural is a fitting place to hang musical instruments used in the ceremony
Around the corner, boys await a procession that's just left the temple
Small villagers decide to start a procession of their own
Amid clangs & drumbeats, young men & celebrants approach the temple courtyard
The waiting women & girls anticipate the meal ahead
The men assemble in the courtyard
Hari & Shiv watch from the back of the courtyard
Faces of young & old alike reflect the joy of the occasion
Boys are hoisted up to strike a gourd filled with curd, a favorite of Krishna in his childhood
When the gourd opens, the boys will be covered with curd!
This gourd does not easily yield its bounty
At last!
Men & boys, women & girls sit in place to be served the meal
Steaming pots of rice will soon be distributed with other spicy morsels
Serving inside the temple begins, our "Ananda delegation" having been seated along a wall
Our banana-leaf plates are generously filled
The temple celebrants face us as we, but not they, eat
Out in the temple courtyard, the meal gets underway
Like these villagers, Biraj & Prisha will eat a meal in India for the 1st time only with their hands
Biraj is greeted by a Watunde friend
The sweeper wielding his branch broom signals the festivities' end
Slowly dimming with the daylight, Janmashtami fades into happy memory
