Sri Lanka.'Panchavaranam Amma'Pada Yatra lady, at Kataragama. The Vel they carry in the background.

'Panchavaranam Amma' because her clothing always included five bright basic colors, hence she was our 'five-color amma', our Panchavaranam Amma who lived in Gopālapuram north of Trincomalee but passed away three years ago. She was a very colorful character, as her name would suggest. Some people thought she was slightly nuts and she definitely lived in a slightly different reality from most everyone around her. However, she was not a regular Pada Yatra pilgrim. Most years we found her in Gopālapuram north of Trincomalee and then later she would come by bus to meet us at the Kataragama festival. She was always a bit of a loner--and we respected her for that.
notes by Patrick Harrigan. 4/2020

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Filename: SL. 'Panchavaranam Amma' Yatra Lady with Vel. DS 2020_3_813clAP.jpg
Copyright: Dominic Sansoni
Image Size: 3390x5000 / 3.9MB; Sri Lanka Pada Yatra lady Kataragama Vel festival Panchavaranam Amma black and white AP black & white people
Contained in galleries: Dominic Sansoni. Recent Finds in an archive. ii, Dominic Sansoni. Recent Finds in an archive. i

'Panchavaranam Amma' because her clothing always included five bright basic colors, hence she was our 'five-color amma', our Panchavaranam Amma who lived in Gopālapuram north of Trincomalee but passed away three years ago. She was a very colorful character, as her name would suggest. Some people thought she was slightly nuts and she definitely lived in a slightly different reality from most everyone around her. However, she was not a regular Pada Yatra pilgrim. Most years we found her in Gopālapuram north of Trincomalee and then later she would come by bus to meet us at the Kataragama festival. She was always a bit of a loner--and we respected her for that.<br />
notes by Patrick Harrigan. 4/2020