Village vignettes - Uppu chakka for the cattle

Sarojamma pounding the uppu chakka. The many kinds of barks that are collected on the morning of Eddulu pandaga (Cattle festival), the day after Sankranthi. The barks are pounded with salt. Sheep slurp it up when spread on the rocks as they love the salt. Cows are often forcefully fed three large balls. The balls are first well rubbed on the tongue, and then the cow is made to swallow it.

Before that the cows are bathed, anointed with turmeric and kumkum, the horns scraped and painted, and then they are worshipped with camphor.

Every act, secular or spiritual is anchored to some sense of the sacred in a village.