This is a fascinating and rare image of Narasimha depicted in a dancing stance. He stands on one foot placed over what appears to be a prostrating figure, possibly a woman. With one hand raised in the air, he forms a lap above which the slain demon king is placed. He has eight arms and is accompanied by a dwarf warrior whose dynamic movement complements the dynamic posture of Narasimha. Such an iconographic depiction of Narasimha is rare and the identity of the dwarf warrior and the prostrating figure over which he stands remain enigmatic.
The Gokarneshwara or Bisaldeo Temple in a courtyard built on the Banas river. It is located near the Bisalpur dam. The plan of temple consists of a garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum), an antarala (vestibule or antechamber), a mahamandapa (pillared hall) with lateral transepts and an ardhamandapa. It is a nirandhara prasada i.e., without the pradakshina path or circumambulatory path. The sanctum is pancharatha (consisting of five projections on each side) in plan and the walls of the sanctum are plain.
View of the main temple structure from the southwest. The garbhagriha, unlike the mandapa exterior, shows some decoration on its façade. The garbhagriha stands on base mouldings with jaali (checkered) windows and chaitya arches. It has a simple latina type shikhara (spire) with niches topped by udgama pediments (pediment with interconnected chaitya dormers) which look like miniature shikaras. At the apex, an amalaka is placed topped by bijapuraka (citron fruit). Unlike the mandapa, the garbhagriha stands on base mouldings with jaali (checkered) windows and chaitya arches. It has a simple latina type shikhara (spire) with niches topped by udgama pediments which look like miniature shikaras. At the apex, an amalaka is placed topped by bijapuraka (citron fruit).
The raw ingredients are mixed at the mill. The mixture is finely ground into powder form. A single kg of masala takes about 4–5 hours of pounding and grinding to blend the powder effectively.
In the final steps, the bottle is sealed with a cap, tightly wrapped in cloth and tied with a string. East Indian families recall a time not so long ago when they collected empty beer bottles to be repurposed for storing masala. Over time, glass bottles have been phased out and replaced with airtight containers, which can store larger quantities and are easy to stack. Bottles are still used, although sparingly.
In addition to their signature bottle masala, Veera and Natasha Almeida make fish masala, puri masala, and indyal (vindaloo) masala. Though various factory-made spice blends exist in the market, bottle masala remains uniquely East Indian and holds a special place in the East Indian community as a symbol of their culinary tradition and heritage.
The pounding machine has a mechanical sieve attached to it, through which the masala is sieved to remove lumps and impurities. The mills are operated by women, who did the work manually in the past using a mortar and pestle.
Jevayla Ye translates to ‘come eat’ in the East Indian dialect, which is the basic idea behind Veera Almeida’s cooking venture. The spice blends are packed in airtight pouches with illustrated branding, representing the East Indian community and their association with spices.
Veera Almeida runs her business from home, making and sharing her recipes online through social media. The ingredients and preparation style are passed down through generations in the family, from mother to daughter to granddaughter. The skill of mixing spices is learned through years of apprenticeship in the kitchen rather than by relying on a cookbook.
The proportion and variety of spices used in bottle masala are closely guarded secrets passed down within the family. The ingredients range from popular spices like lal mirch (red chilli), tejpatta (bay leaf), dalchini (cinnamon), elaichi (cardamom), and javitri (mace) to rare spices like mugwort, stoneflower, and Nagkesar (cobra saffron). On average, 25–30 spices are used in a masala, but it can range from as few as 20 to as many as 50.