In India, deity decorating a calling for Hindu temple artist
As a fifth-generation deity decorator, S
By DEEPA BHARATH
Published - Jan 16, 2023, 08:45 AM ET
Last Updated - Jun 23, 2023, 02:12 AM EDT
CHENNAI, India (AP) — The former computer professional — now a very specialized type of artist — locked his gaze on the deity before him.
On a recent afternoon, 33-year-old S. Goutham was perched on a ladder at the altar of the goddess Durga at the Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Chennai, India. Goutham — his hand moving steadily — was pleating a green silk sari to adorn the deity.
“You cannot get tense when you are doing this work,” he says. “You can’t do this if you are not patient. You need to become one with her.”
A computer science graduate, Goutham quit his job nearly a decade ago to pursue his calling. He has since followed in the footsteps of his ancestors as a fifth-generation decorator of temple deities.
