Nadibettu

The project was filmed at Nadibettu, a historically significant Banta household located near the Vishnumurthy Temple of Shirva, and sought to capture the ritual, cultural atmosphere and distinctive traditions associated with the festival.

The Nadibettu house is described as one of the historically significant Banta households of the Udupi and Dakshina Kannada region. The remarkable artistic features at the entrance of the ancestral house add to its cultural character and reflect the heritage associated with the family and the place. The filming of the Nadibettu Dompada Bali festival brought the team together to document this traditional celebration in its own setting.

At the heart of the documentation is the tradition of Daivaradhane, an integral part of the cultural and spiritual practices of Tulunadu. The region has a deep-rooted belief in its daivas, each associated with its own stories, paddana traditions, costumes, colours, ornaments and ritual practices. These traditions have continued to hold an important place in the cultural memory and everyday life of coastal communities.

The filming took place on 13 March 2019. Ujwal UV served as the Director of Photography, with cinematography by Sujith S. K., Sanketh UK, Akshay S. and Ashray Bekal. Editing was handled by Sukesh and Akshay, while Shripada and Abhishek M. B. worked on the music.

One of the distinctive aspects of the project was that the documentation was not separated from the event itself. The film capturing the Nadibettu Jumadi Daiva Dompada Bali Seve was premiered at the same location on the day of the filming, in the presence of the team members and devotees. This gave the project a direct connection with the community and the ritual it documented.

Nadibettu therefore stands as a documentation of a living cultural tradition bringing together the place, the people, the ritual and the visual language of Tulunadu in a single film.