Mother Earth showers love

The depiction of a mother in the tribal communities of the Bastar region is quite different from the rest of India. Since many of the tribal folk live deep in the forest, both men and women are adept at climbing up tall trees and creating tree houses from scratch. The tribals believe that Tallur Muttai (mother goddess) lives in palmyra fruit trees. They believe that palmyra fruit juice is the breast milk of this deity, who is considered as earth mother. Unlike Hindus who prefer their goddesses sitting on a tiger, the tribal folk visualizes earth's mother sitting mundanely with her child - sometimes on a tree, other times on a wooden surface of a hut. For the tribal folk, a mother goddess is as much part of their daily lives as a regular mother and her child. This spirit of oneness with mother earth is often depicted in their art.