A group of anxious devotees wait for the word from god. Three men, who would soon be god, stand before the deity. Their faces powdered with turmeric and the tip of their long knives covered with lemons. Another devotee jumps up and down the steps frantically. Monkeys look on as the hysteria mounts. "Annaney koopidu, Annaney koopidu…", a woman screams for an oracle. Others join the chorus. An elderly woman gives them instructions. Most of the men have shaved heads and anointed themselves with turmeric. Annan is Azhakar, the local deity after whom this village, 10 km off Madurai, is named. The rituals would entice him to speak through the man and his two sons. The elder begins to sway. Then it becomes violent. He almost falls into a pit for breaking coconuts. Others hold him
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