It seems that a sense of joy and festivity runs through Kamala Harris’ ancestral Indian village.
A single road lined with coconut trees leads to Thulasendrapuram, a village surrounded by paddy fields deep in the Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu, which was once home to Harris’ maternal grandfather.
A huge picture of the smiling Democrat stands at the village entrance near its main temple, a sprawling structure with a towering, decorated gate.
Community prayers began there the day after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, paving the way for Harris to ascend to the top of the race, and are expected to continue daily until voting day.
It has been learnt that no one from the family of Kamala Harris resides at Thulasendrapuram. Her maternal grandfather PV Gopalan left the village several decades ago.
Nevertheless, Kamala Harris is a household name not only at Thulasendrapuram but in the nearby villages after she became the Vice President of the global superpower.
M Natarajan, 61, the priest of the Sri Dharma Sastha temple, recalls that Ms Harris donated to the temple’s kumbhabhishekam (the consecration, post renovation) held in 2014 pointing out to her name inscribed on a stone tablet containing a list of donors in the shrine premises.
Hours after sunrise, sarong-clad head priest Natarajan pay obeisance with offerings of sweets and rice pudding to Dharmasastha, the Hindu god of truth and righteousness, to whom the centuries-old temple is dedicated.
“We prayed for her, and she became vice president,” said the priest.
“With the blessing of our all-powerful deity, we are confident she will now become president too,” he added.
An enormous image of Harris stands outside the temple’s gates, adorned by intricate artwork, and dozens of villagers thronged the premises.
The scale of the prayers will increase as the elections approach, said Natarajan — who doubles as a veterinarian at the animal dispensary next door.
“This time if she wins again, the celebrations will be grander than anything the village has ever seen,” the priest said.
“After becoming president, she must visit.”
How is Kamala Harris associated with the village?
Harris’ maternal grandfather PV Gopalan left the village decades ago, but residents say the family has maintained close links and has regularly donated to the temple’s upkeep.
Harris, 59, was born in California, but was often taken to India by her mother — breast cancer specialist Shyamala Gopalan — and has spoken about the influence of her maternal grandfather.
She has a diverse religious background — she is a Baptist, while her husband is Jewish.
Government employee Vijay Kumar insists that the village has benefited from Harris’ high profile.
A local commercial bank donated 10 million rupees ($120,000) to rejuvenate a long-dead reservoir in the area.
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