Today was my third day by the Arabian Sea here in Kovalem in the laid-back state of Kerala, southern India. I took my camera out and took it for a stroll down the coast from Kovalem’s Lighthouse Beach to Vizhinjam, a small fishing village. While it was only a few kilometres from the concrete-backed beach I’m calling home, the village offered a complete change of scene – beach front restaurants were replaced by rustic, reed fishing huts & touts offering tours & taxi rides were replaced by mute, inquisitive locals. And it also proved to be quite photogenic.
Outside Vizhinjam village (
) by the Arabian Sea in Kovalam, Kerala, southern India. September 13th 2012.
Working with boats in Vizhinjam village port. For such a small village the boats here just seemed to go on forever, both in an out of the water. The man seen here is wearing a variant of a lungi, a traditional piece of fabric often sewn together to form a tube and knotted around the waist. It’s a common sight in Kerala, as well as Bangladesh & Myanmar (Burma). It’s normally worn like a dress but while working or in hot weather it’s commonly worn folded in half. Vizhinjam, Kovalam, Kerala, southwestern India. September 13th 2012.
In a predominantly Hindi country, Vizhinjam is obviously a Muslim village. It was the massive, lime-green façade of the village’s Darga Sherief Mosque, visible from my guesthouse balcony some distance away up the coast, that beckoned me walk down the coast to the village in the first place. It looked attractive, intriguing even, from afar but even better up close. I waited outside the steps of the main entrance for a while, taking picture of locals entering & exiting the main concourse. I got some pictures & an equal amount of strange looks – it’s obvious the village doesn’t see too many tourists, especially ones who linger around the front entrance of their mosque with a camera in hand. The Darga Sherief mosque in Vizhinjam village, Kovalam, Kerala, southwestern India. September 13th 2012.
The minarets of the Darga Sherief mosque outside of Kovalam, Kerala, southwestern India. September 13th 2012.
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