Sitala in spring

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Summary

The Goddess Sitala (the "Cool One") controls infectious diseases such as smallpox. She is frequently the "mother" goddess of an entire village. Villagers who have moved into the industrial-resident...

The Goddess Sitala (the "Cool One") controls infectious diseases such as smallpox. She is frequently the "mother" goddess of an entire village. Villagers who have moved into the industrial-residential Calcutta suburb of Salkia (where the film was made) continue to support numerous neighborhood Sitala temples. On the first day of the Spring festival, the Sitala images in the many Salkia temples are decorated and joyously carried in separate processions to the Hooghly river for bathing. During the processions, devotees may actually touch the Sitala images. The film concentrates on the rites in the largest Sitala temple, including the sacrifice of goats.

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