Another installment in an ongoing series.
The first time I saw this striking sculpture of Vetal was on a stormy monsoon morning, and it evoked at once a feeling of disquiet. Set out in the open in a forest in Loliem, a small village in south Goa‘s Canacona taluka, the ancient image is the most imposing in the entire region that includes Goa and southern Sindhudurg. I have photographed the site on a number of occasions the past seven years. If you decide to visit, time it around a dark monsoon hour when the surrounding foliage is thick and the air menacing.
This excerpt from the book Socio Cultural History of Goa by V.R. Mitragotri dwells on the mythos of Vetal.
All my earlier posts on Vetal theme are consolidated here.

Vetal of Loliem, Goa
5D Mark III, TS-E 24L II

Up close
5D, 24-105L

Sense of scale: with my assistant Babu Naik
5D Mark III, TS-E 24L II
This is from my village 🙂 Nice to see photo blogged. Did you visit Bhagvati temple on hillock as well?
Nice pic Egr bab Rajan. As always.
I see that the vetal’s upanayanam was performed recently.