The photographs in this gallery were taken during my peregrinations in Kerala spread over 16 days in the month of June 2007. The plan was to start at the southernmost tip of India, at Kankyakumari (now in Tamil Nadu), plot a northerly course by road along the Indian coast all the way to Mangalore, Karnataka, and then take the Konkan Railway to Goa. The expectation was that the monsoons, and the magic they bring, would be turned on, but with an intensity modest enough to allow for outdoor photography. To that end, I was equipped with the Aquatech SS-200 Rain Shield.

Midway through the excursion I suffered a setback when the mirror on my EOS 5D came unglued. Fortunately the contretemps took place in Cochin which has a Canon Repair Centre. Following 2 iterations - and with the benefit of a tip I got at the Fred Miranda Forums - the Canon technician fixed the camera.

Of particular interest to me were the Hindu temples of Kerala. For it is here that the heart of the India I love and grew up with still beats, undeterred by the cancer of "development" currently ravaging the rest of its being. I went to almost all the revered temples except Sabarimala. I also saw several important churches, mosques and synagogues in the region. As the pictures reveal, the vaunted natural beauty of Kerala, with its fabulous beaches, serene backwaters, and its signature panoply of palm trees, make up only half the story. Culture, tradition, and religion account for the other half.

A couple of references served me well: (a) Temples of Kerala by A.V. Shankaranarayana Rao (Vasan Publications, Bangalore), and (b) Kerala, Maps&More, Stark World.

All the photographs were taken with the Canon EOS 5D and the following lenses: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS, Canon EF 135mm f/2 L, and Canon EF 300mm f/4 L IS. Note: there are 5 pages of photographs in this gallery.

© Rajan P. Parrikar. No image may be copied or reproduced without the consent of the photographer.


Rajan P. Parrikar