The Unbuilt Sacred Spaces of Indigenous Religious Practices in Coastal Karnataka

The sacred nature of ecology is inherent in the ethnic religion of regional groups. The traditional ceremonial landscape of ritual worship was studied on the Indian west coast stretch of the Karnataka state. The methodology used is Ethnography. The data was gathered through ethnographic techniques, including transect walking, photographic surveys, and participatory observations. Transect walking was done with community guides discussing the customs, rituals, significance, and landscape changes. The recurrent theme is the degrees of differentiation and protection from intrusion into designated zones. This stretch of the coast has several historically significant ports that drew various ethnicities and colonizers. As a result, religious, cultural, and architectural shifts are unavoidable. In addition, the coast’s demographics and social and economic nature have changed drastically during the last three decades, affecting long-held beliefs and spatial formations.