“Our family god called Kuladheivam in Tamil, has a temple in our village called poɬliwoʃ,” said the 66-year-old Kurtaz Vasamalli, who lives in the Nilgiri hills near Ooty.  “We believe that the divine power comes to our villages from the temple…there is no idol worship.”The hills, which are renowned for tea and coffee plantations, are considered sacred by the Toda tribe, who have lived there for thousands of years. The pastoral community believes that their gods and goddesses li...

Go to index page »