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Bhuta Kola or spirit worship is an ancient form of worship prevalent among the Tulu-speaking community in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada districts in Karnataka and Kasargod district in Kerala. The nearest to it is Theyyam in North Kerala. Udupi is a temple town located in Udupi District, near Mangalore, Karnataka state on the south west coast of India. ...
A Dakshina, also known as Gurudakshina is a Sanskrit word describing the Indian tradition of a student repaying his teacher, his guru after the completion of his education. ...
Kannada - aptly described as sirigannada (known to few as Kanarese) is one of the oldest Dravidian languages and is spoken in its various dialects by roughly 45 million people. ...
KarnÄtakÄ (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (IPA: / /) is one of the four southern states of India. ...
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Kerala ( (Anglicised) or (native); Malayalam: േകരളം, — ) is a state on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ...
Theyyam a religious art form of North Kerala The Theyyam or Theyyattam is a popular ritual dance of North Kerala, particularly presented in the Kolathunadu(of the present Kannur and Kasargode districts). ...
The coastal Karnataka is known for two great art forms, namely Bhuta Kola, a highly stylized version of the ritual dance of the spirit impersonator and a fine tradition of Yakshagana, creating a world of divine and supernatural beings with all the paraphernalia of costumes, make-ups, music, dance and dialogue. A Yakshagana artist wearing pagaDe, one type of head-wear. ...
The Origin
The coastal districts of Karnataka, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, collectively known as Tulu Nadu have always been unique from the rest of Karnataka. Rituals like Bhuta Kola, Nagaradhane (snake worship) have given an identity, distinct from other parts of Karnataka. Dakshina Kannada, also called South Kannada, South Kanara, or South Canara, is a district of Indias Karnataka state. ...
KarnÄtakÄ (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (IPA: / /) is one of the four southern states of India. ...
Among the religious beliefs of South India, the spirit worship of appears to be the most primitive one. This complex system of rituals and beliefs can be traced back to the tribal era. The music and narratives, dances and dialogues, trances and oracles reflects the socio-economic orders, thought patterns, artistic achievements and socio-cultural values enshrined in the rustic societies of different regions.
The origin of Bhuta Kola is difficult to trace. It can be considered as a complex mixture of beliefs, rituals, literature, music and theatrical elements. Westerners have wrongly attributed Bhuta Kola as "devil worship." But the term "devil" has negative connotation and as such cannot be applied to Bhuta Kola. In essence, the spirits or the bhutas worshipped are considered as the guardians of the villages, blessing and protecting the villagers and their livestock.
The most important aspect of Bhuta Kola is possession, trance and the dialogue of the possessed impersonator with the devotees. The Bhuta impersonator behaves like an incarnation of concerned spirit, listening, solving, warning, comforting the problems of the devotees. He acts like a healer and solves the legal and judicial problems of the village.
 The impersonator invoking the Bhuta or the spirit. The people of Tulu Nadu follow a tradition of dual worship that includes worshipping the puranic Gods as well as the local spirits. The puranic Gods are worshipped in temple under the leadership of Brahmin priests and the devotees are mere spectators receiving offerings and as such cannot be approached directly. On the other hand, the spirits are the localised and personalised deities who share a more intimate relationship with the devotees. The spirits have fixed spheres of influence and are generally associated with a family or village or region and the devotees offer them periodic oblation. In turn, the spirits protect the villagers and their livestock from danger and warn them as and when necessary. Dakshina Kannada, also called South Kannada, South Kanara, or South Canara, is a district of Indias Karnataka state. ...
This page deals with the Hindu varna. ...
Variations The spirits and folk deities worshipped and the dances performed in Tulu Nadu can be classified into the following categories: Dakshina Kannada, also called South Kannada, South Kanara, or South Canara, is a district of Indias Karnataka state. ...
1) The spirits of totemistic origin; Panjurli (tiger), Nadigoone(bull).
2) Mother Goddesses : Jumaadi, Lakkesiri, Ullaalti, Maariamma .
3) Attendants or Ganas of Lord Shiva : Virabhadra, Guliga. Ganas is an intentional community located on the north shore of Staten Island, New York, USA. Ganas was founded in 1979, by the Foundation for Feedback Learning founded in 1978. ...
Shiva (Sanskrit: शिव; Hindi: शिव (when used to distinguish lordly status), and written Śiva in the official IAST transliteration, pronounced as ) is a form of Ishvara or God in the later Vedic scriptures of Hinduism. ...
In Hinduism, Virabhadra is a monster created by Shiva who eventually blinded Bhaga. ...
4) Incarnations of puranic Gods : Vishnumurti, Ermeru, Jataadhari.
5) Spirits of cultural heroes who met with tragic death : Kotí-Chennaya, Kalkuda-Kallurti, Siri, Kooddabbu, Koraga-Taniya, Bobbarya.
According to the beliefs, Bhutas are believed to be residing in special places called as Stana. Kola is the unique form of worshipping the bhuta. In Hinduism and Buddhism, a bhut is a type of evil spirit (pl: bhutas, buthas) Categories: Stub ...
Kola can refer to: Kola nut Kola Peninsula, in the far north of Russia Kola Island, part of the Aru Islands of Indonesia Kola language, spoken on Kola Island Mr. ...
The Ritual The nightlong ceremonies begins in a well decorated arena or pandal that gives the appearance of a ritualistic stage with the image of the deity and other objects of worship well arranged on one side and the disciplined devotees on the other side. The musicians, accompanied with drums and wind instruments are seated on another side are ready to provide beats of varying tempo for different stages in the processions. The pandal is well decorated with various figures made from palm leaf, mango leaf and areca flower.
The person who invokes the bhuta or the spirit dresses up in a colourful costumes, complete with a sword, bells and other such accessories. He is slowly prepared for self-hypnotisation and for imposing the spirit on him. He is ceremoniously given oil for a ritual bath to make his body physically purified and mentally calm. Pastes from plant extract are used as a makeup for the impersonator. Different colors are used to symbolically display the characteristic features of the spirit. His wife, sister or mother sings the ballad or paād-danāas which narrates the birth of that spirit, its descent into the land, heroic deeds, its travels and sphere of influence etc.
He now assumes the role of the spirit himself and starts calling the authorities to inquire the reason for his invocation. He addresses everyone according to his rank. The organizers propitiate the spirit and beg protection, prosperity, good crop and wealth for the entire community. If pleased, the spirit through the oracle conveys the pleasure and promises protection and prosperity. If the spirit is not satisfied, then he prescribes certain punitive rituals for acts of insult or impurity to the holy place or certain acts of commissions and omissions on part of the devotees. While settling the quarrels or disputes the impersonator assumes the role of a tribunal and conducts himself in a dignified manner as upholder of truth and righteousness. The decision of the impersonator is final without provision for appeal.
Spirit Possession There are dozens of words in Tulu which are used in the context of Bhuta Kola. The most usual are bhuta pattundu (the spirit caught) and maytu battundu (came into the body). Several verbs describe the physical appearance of the possessed (e.g. kumbarunu= shaking) and the internal experience (e.g. ersuntu = rising)are also used. In a cermonial context, possession of the spirit is more usually referred to as darsana or appearance/revelation. Tulu is one of the minor languages of India with under 2,000,000 speakers. ...
The spirit in question may be one of a number of different categories: bhuta, daiva, kule, preta, sirikulu, cikku, and others. They include spirits of cultural heroes, animal spirits, ghosts, and anthropomorphic divinities of various sorts. Many spirits and categories of spirits have only vague identities, but the character of some is elaborately described in long oral narratives or paād-danāas which describe their birth, "adventures", and death. Many other spirits are incorporated into these cults under specific conditions.
The affliction caused by a spirit is usually described as upadra, or trouble. This term may be applied to certain cases of unwarranted possession, but more frequently used to label violent diseases brought about by spiritual attack on humans, animals or crops. In many of these circumstances there is considerable ambiguity as to whether the spirit is an external agent of affliction or whether his internal presence is the cause of the trouble. Some afflictions are said to be caused by the spirit's "touch" or "scratch." Eg: Pilichandi.
Current Scenario Despite the arrival of globalisation and rapid modernisation, Bhuta Kola still remains an intimate part of the life of the people in Tulu Nadu. The purists have derided the incorporation of film tunes by musicians during the Kola. The younger generation of Tuluvas, though sceptical about the powers of the spirit, still believe in the rituals. Whether Bhuta Kola will survive the wave of globalisation or whether it will retain its identity or whether it will undergo any transformation is difficult to predict. Globalization is a term used to describe the changes in societies and the world economy that are the result of dramatically increased trade and cultural exchange. ...
Modernization is the process of changing the conditions of a society, an organisation or another group of people in ways that change the privileges of that group according to modern technology or modern knowledge. ...
Dakshina Kannada, also called South Kannada, South Kanara, or South Canara, is a district of Indias Karnataka state. ...
See also Theyyam a religious art form of North Kerala The Theyyam or Theyyattam is a popular ritual dance of North Kerala, particularly presented in the Kolathunadu(of the present Kannur and Kasargode districts). ...
A Yakshagana artist wearing pagaDe, one type of head-wear. ...
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