View source for Religion:Buta Kola

{{Short description|Ritual folk dance and divination from India}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}
[[File:Dancer's Headpiece in the Form of a Panjurli Bhuta (boar spirit deity) LACMA M.2005.49a-b (2 of 3).jpg|thumb|Dancer's headpiece in the form of Panjurli (boar face deity), LACMA 18th century CE]]
'''Būta Kōlā''',<ref group="note">/buːt̪ʌ/ is the local pronunciation while the standardised Sanskrit+Tulu pronunciation is /bʱuːt̪ʌ koːlɑː/ </ref> also referred to as '''Daiva Kōlā''' or '''Daiva Nēmā''', is a [[Unsolved:Shamanism|shamanistic]] [[Unsolved:Spirit possession|dance]] performance prevalent among the [[Religion:Hindus|Hindus]] of Tulu Nadu and parts of Malenadu of Karnataka and Kasargod in northern Kerala, {{wipe|India}}. The dance is highly stylized and performed as part of 'Bhootaradhane' or worship of the local deities worshipped by the [[Social:Tulu language|Tulu]] speaking population. It has influenced Yakshagana folk theatre.<ref name="GoK">{{Cite web|author=|url=https://karnatakatourism.org/destinations/bhootha-aradhane/|title=Bhootha Aradhane|publisher=Government of Karnataka}}</ref> Būta kōlā is closely related to Theyyam of North Malabar region.

== List of Daivas ==
'''Koragajja''', is the most worshipped Daiva by the Tulu people and is prayed to for help in solving any problem, to get back something lost, or to get any work done on time.<ref name="VK">{{cite news |last= Ananda|first= Manisha|date=14 November 2022|title=Koragajja Story: Do you know anything about the God of Tulunad, Swami Koragajja..?|url=https://vijaykarnataka-com.translate.goog/religion/hinduism/know-the-miracles-story-and-life-history-of-tulunadu-daiva-swami-koragajja/articleshow/95499924.cms|newspaper=Vijay Karnataka| access-date= 29 December 2022}}</ref>

=== Panjurli ===
[[File:Panjurli- The Wild Boar.. Worship of Nature God.jpg|thumb|Panjurli, a Boar face Deity.]]
A boar spirit that is worshipped to ward off the menace of wild boars in order to protect the crops.<ref name="S. Jayashanker">{{cite book|author=S. Jayashanker|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WnLXAAAAMAAJ|title=Temples of Kasaragod District|publisher=Controller of Publications|year=2001|isbn=|page=30}}</ref> According to Tulu mythology, a wild boar died in Lord Shiva's celestial garden. The boar's offspring was adopted by [[Religion:Parvati|Goddess Parvati]]. The young boar became destructive as he grew older and began destroying the plants and trees in Lord Shiva's garden. Lord Shiva became upset by this and decided to kill him. Goddess Parvati, however, defended the boar and asked her husband to pardon him. So instead of killing him, Lord Shiva banished the boar to Earth as his gana and tasked him with protecting the people of Earth and assured him that he will be revered by the people as a protector god. This particular boar became a Bhoota ([[Religion:Village deities of South India|Divine Spirit]]) known as Panjurli.<ref name="IT">{{cite news |last= Sadhwani|first= Bhavya|date=14 December 2022|title=Now That Kantara Has Released On OTT, Here Are Answers To All The Questions You Might Have|url=https://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/binge/now-that-kantara-has-released-on-ott-here-are-the-answers-to-all-the-questions-you-might-have-587471.html|newspaper=India Times| access-date= 29 December 2022}}</ref>
But some people syncretise Panjurli with [[Unsolved:Varaha|Varaha]], the boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu, since the two deities are boars. He's also a Rudransh because of it he is also known as Shiva Shambhootha Or one who has the powers of [[Religion:Shiva|Mahadev]]. Panjurli Daiva is also the one of the earliest daivas who is worshipped in all over Tulunad his earliest worship dates back to [[History:7th century BC|700 BCE]]-[[History:8th century BC|800 BCE]] along with Bermer Daiva ([[Religion:Brahma|Brahma]]). The idea behind the worship of Panjurli is that wild boars destroyed crops and thus, farmers started worshipping a boar king who was known as Panjurli and in return they believe that panjurli protects the crops. 

'''Bobbarya''', the God of the seas, is worshipped mostly by members of the fishing community.<ref name="U. Padmanabha Upadhyaya">{{cite book|author=U. Padmanabha Upadhyaya|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0dUXAAAAIAAJ|title=Bhuta Worship|publisher=Regional Resources Centre for Folk Performing Arts, M.G.M. College|year=1984|isbn=|page=60}}</ref>

'''Kalkuda and Kallurti''', are Daivas who are brother and sister. According to legend, Kalkuda was a great sculptor who built the [[Unsolved:Gommateshwara statue|Gommateshwara statue]] in Karkala. After he completed building beautiful temples and monumental statues, the ruler of Karkala cut off his left arm and right leg so that he could not create such beautiful sculptures for any other king. On seeing her brother's state, Kallurti vowed to take revenge and requested [[Religion:Shiva|Lord Shiva]] to turn them into deities. Shiva agreed and the pair then took violent revenge on the king, his family, and his kingdom. Their destruction was only stopped when a master magician promised them that they would be worshipped as and how they wanted.<ref name="Studies in Tulu Culture">{{cite book|author=Heidrun Brückner|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MehF3uSdHxgC|title=On an Auspicious Day, at Dawn -: Studies in Tulu Culture and Oral Literature|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag|year=2009|isbn=9783447059169|page=60}}</ref>

=== Guliga ===
As per legend, he was born out of a stone. The Goddess Parvati discovered this stone in a pile of ash. Guliga was created when Lord Shiva flung this ash into the water and was sent to [[Religion:Vishnu|Lord Vishnu]] after his birth so that he may serve him.
[[File:Mookambi Guliga 02.jpg|thumb|Guliga Daiva at Bhootaradhane Ceremony.]]
However, Guliga was extremely destructive and this greatly annoyed Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu exiled Guliga to Earth as a result and tasked him with protecting the people on Earth.<ref name="IT"/>

'''Kōṭi Cennayya''', Koti and Chennayya are twin heroes who are worshipped as martial Gods.<ref name="Karnataka">{{cite book|author=K. S. Singh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vxMwAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA111|title=Karnataka, Part 1|publisher=Anthropological Survey of India|year=2003|isbn=9788185938981|page=111}}</ref>

== Etymology and History ==

The word is derived from ''būta'' ([[Social:Tulu language|Tulu]] for ‘spirit’, ‘deity’; in turn derived from Sanskrit भूत for ‘free elements’, 'which is purified', 'fit', 'proper', ‘true’, 'past', 'creatures'; Anglicized: ''‘bhūta’, ‘bhoota’, ‘bootha’'') and ''kōla'' ([[Social:Tulu language|Tulu]] for ‘play, performance, festival’, or 'shape/form').

A ''bhūta kōlā'' or ''nēmā'' is typically an annual ritual performance where local spirits or deities (''bhūtas, daivas'') are being channelised by ritual specialists from certain scheduled castes such as the Nalike, Pambada, or Parawa communities. The ''bhūta'' cult is prevalent among the Tuluvas of Tulu Nadu region.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|year=1987|title=Bhuta Worship in Coastal Karnataka: An Oral Tulu Myth and Festival Ritual of Jumadi|journal=Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik |volume=13/14|pages=17–37}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|year=1992|title=Dhumavati-Bhuta" An Oral Tulu-Text Collected in the 19th Century. Edition, Translation, and Analysis.|journal=Studien zur Indologie und Iranistik |volume=13/14|pages=13–63}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite book|title=Fürstliche Fest: Text und Rituale der Tuḷu-Volksreligion an der Westküste Südindiens.|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|publisher=Harrassowitz|year=1995|location=Wiesbaden|pages=199–201}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite book|title=On an Auspicious Day, at Dawn ... Studies in Tulu Culture and Oral Literature|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|publisher=Harrassowitz|year=2009a|location=Wiesbaden}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite book|title="Der Gesang von der Büffelgottheit" in Wenn Masken Tanzen&nbsp;– Rituelles Theater und Bronzekunst aus Südindien edited by Johannes Beltz|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|publisher=Rietberg Museum|year=2009b|location=Zürich|pages=57–64}}</ref> The word ''kōla'' is conventionally reserved for the worship of a single spirit whereas a ''nēma'' involves the channelising of several spirits in hierarchical order.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book|title=Behind the Text. Performance and Ideology in a Tulu Oral Tradition. In Oral Epics in India edited by Stuart H. Blackburn, Peter J. Claus, Joyce B. Flueckiger and Susan S. Wadley|last=Claus|first=Peter|publisher=University of California Press|year=1989|location=Berkeley|pages=64}}</ref> In ''kōlas'' and ''nēmas'' family and village disputes are referred to the spirit for mediation and adjudication.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Behind the Text. Performance and Ideology in a Tulu Oral Tradition. In Oral Epics in India edited by Stuart H. Blackburn, Peter J. Claus, Joyce B. Flueckiger and Susan S. Wadley|last=Claus|first=Peter|publisher=University of California Press|year=1989|location=Berkeley|pages=67}}</ref> In feudal times, the justice aspect of the ritual included matters of political justice, such as the legitimation of political authority, as well as aspects of distributive justice. The produce of land directly owned by the ''būta'' (commons) as well as certain contributions from the leading manors was redistributed among the villagers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Ishii|first=Miho|year=2015|title=Wild Sacredness and the Poiesis of Transactional Networks: Relational Divinity and Spirit Possession in the Būta Ritual of South India.|journal=Asian Ethnology |volume=74 |issue=1|pages=101–102|doi=10.18874/ae.74.1.05|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The history of Bhuta Kola is unknown but some scholars suppose that this tradition was probably originated during [[History:7th century BC|700 BCE]] by the migration of early tulu tribes introducing the worship of Bermer ([[Religion:Brahma|Brahma]]), Panjurli (the boar spirit) and other spirits although Bhuta Kola is a modified form of prehistoric religious rituals.  

== Types of Bhūta Worship ==
The Bhūta worship of South Canara is of four kinds,  kōla, bandi, nēma, and agelu-tambila.
:'''Kōla:''' Demi god dancing, is offered to the Bhūtas in the sthana of the village believed that which they are supposed to reside.
:'''Bandi:'''  Bandi is the same as kōla, with the addition of dragging about a chariot, on which the one who is representing the Bhūta is seated; most often, he is from the nalke, pambada or ajala communities.
:'''Nēma:''' Nēma is a private ceremony in honour of the Bhūtas, held in the house of anyone who is so inclined. It is performed once in every year, two, ten, fifteen, or twenty years by well-to-do families.
:'''Agelu-tambila:'''  is a kind of worship offered only to the family people, wherein rice, dishes, meat, alcohol are served on plantain leaves and offered to spirits, deities, departed forefathers annually or once wishes are completed.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Castes_and_Tribes_of_Southern_India/Nalke|title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India|first=Edgar|last=Thurston|chapter=Nalke |date=9 October 1909|publisher=Government Press|via=Wikisource}}</ref>

== Performance ==
The ritual performance at a ''būta kōla'' or ''daiva nēma'' involves music, dance, recital, and elaborate costumes. Recitals in Old Tulu recount the origins of the deity and tell the story of how it came to the present location. These epics are known as ''pāḍdanas.''<ref name=":11">{{Cite journal|last=Claus|first=Peter J.|year=1978|title=Heroes and Heroines in the Conceptual Framework of Tulu Culture|journal=Journal of Indian Folkloristics |volume=1 |issue=2|pages=28–42}}</ref>

== Types of daivas ==
Thurston counts among the best known deities "Brahmeru, Kodamanitaya, Kukkintaya, Jumadi, Sarala Jumadi, Pancha Jumadi, Lekkesiri, Panjurli (a divine boar<ref name="Pinto 2017 p. ">{{cite book | last=Pinto | first=M. | title=Fisticuff of the Souls: The Deliverance | publisher=Partridge Publishing India | year=2017 | isbn=978-1-5437-0045-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4zVpDwAAQBAJ | access-date=29 October 2022 | page=}}</ref>), Kuppe Panjurli, Rakta Panjurli, Jarandaya, Urundarayya, Hosadēvata (or Hosa Bhūta or Posa appe), Dēvanajiri, Kalkuḍa, Tukkateri, Guliga, Babbariya (or Bobbarāyā), Neecha, Duggalaya, Mahisandaya, Varte, Koragajja, Chāmundi, Baiderukulu, Ukkatiri, Kallurti, Shiraadi, Ullalthi, Okkuballala, Korddabbu, Ullaya, Korathi, Siri, Mantridevathe, Rakteshwari, Istadevathe and Odityay.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Vol. V.|last1=Thurston|first1=Edgar|last2=Rangachari|first2=K.|publisher=Government Press|year=1909|location=Madras|pages=148}}</ref> The Bhūtas are supposed to belong to different castes. For example Okkuballala and Dēvanajiri are Jains, Kodamanitaya and Kukkinataya are Bunts, Kalkuḍa is a smith, Bobbariya is a Māppilla, and Nicha a Koraga." Some of them are ancestral spirits such as ''Bobbariya'', ''Kalkuḍa'', ''Kallurti'', ''Siri'', ''Kumār'' Koti and Chennayya. Some are deified wild animals such as the boar - ''{{lang|tcy-Latn|Paňjurli}}'' (the female counterpart is ''{{lang|tcy-Latn|Varte Paňjurli}}'') or the tiger - ''{{lang|tcy-Latn|Pilichaṇḍi}}.''

Some ''būtas'' are Androgynous such as some instances of Jumadi who is represented as female below the neck (breasts), but with a male head sporting a mustache.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":0" /> There are anthropomorphic ''būtas'', zoomorphic ones, and mixed forms (such as the Malarāya of Kodlamogaru, Kasargod, who has the head of a wild boar and the body of a woman).

Depending on the significance of the people who worship them, ''{{lang|tcy-Latn|būtas}}'' or ''{{lang|tcy-Latn|daivas}}'' can be family deities (''{{lang|tcy-Latn|kuṭuṃbada būta}}''), local or village deities (''{{lang|tcy-Latn|jāgeda būta}}'', ''{{lang|tcy-Latn|ūrada būta}}''), or deities associated with administrative units such as manorial estates (''{{lang|tcy-Latn|guțțus}}''), groups of estates (''{{lang|fr|māgane}}''), districts (''{{lang|tcy-Latn|sīme}}'') or even small kingdoms (royal ''būta''s or ''rājandaivā''s).<ref name=":7" />

== Cosmology ==
According to the ethnographer Peter Claus, the Tulu ''{{lang|tcy-Latn|pāḍdanas}}'' reveal a cosmology which is distinctly Dravidian and thus different from the Puranic Hindu cosmology.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":4" /> Importantly, priesthood is not the preserve of a caste learned in scriptures but is shared between the ruling aristocracy on one hand and ritual specialists from the lower strata of society on the other hand. The world is divided in two three realms: firstly, the realm of cultivated lands ({{lang|tcy-Latn|grāmya}}), secondly the realm of wastelands and forests ({{lang|tcy-Latn|jāṅgala}}/{{lang|tcy-Latn|āraṇya}}), and thirdly the realm of spirits ({{lang|tcy-Latn|būta-loka}}). Grāmya and {{lang|tcy-Latn|jāṅgala}}/{{lang|tcy-Latn|āraṇya}} form part of the tangible world, whereas {{lang|tcy-Latn|būta-loka}} is their intangible counterpart. As grāmya is constantly threatened by encroachment, disease, hunger and death form {{lang|tcy-Latn|jāṅgala}} and {{lang|tcy-Latn|āraṇya}}, so is the tangible world under constant threat from the intangible world of the spirits. The world of the forest is the "world of the wild, unordered, uncontrolled, hungry beings of destruction".<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last=Claus|first=Peter J.|year=1978|title=Oral Traditions, Royal Cults and Material for the Reconsideration of the Caste System in South India|journal=Journal of Indian Folkloristics |volume=1 |issue=1|pages=1–39}}</ref>

The world of the forest and the world of the spirits are therefore seen as mirror images of each other. The wild animals threatening the human cultivator and his fields such as the tiger, the snake, the wild-boar, and the bison, find their mirror images in their corresponding būtas ''Pilli, Naga, Paňjurli'' and ''Maisandaya''.

The relationship between these three worlds is one of balance and moral order. If this order is upset by the humans, it is believed that the spirits become vicious. If the order is maintained, the spirits are believed to be supportive and benevolent. Thus, the spirits of Tulu culture are neither "good" nor "bad" as such; they are "neither cruel nor capricious. They methodically and persistently remind a lax humanity of the need for morality and the value of solidarity".<ref name=":13">{{Cite journal|last=Claus|first=Peter J.|year=1973|title=Possession, Protection and Punishment as Attributes of the Deities in a South Indian Village.|journal=Man in India |volume=53 |issue=3 |pages= 231–242}}</ref> Nobody is believed to be above the moral and cosmological norms of this threefold universe, not even the spirits or the gods. Thus the ''būta''s are not whimsical or arbitrary in their judgement. The ''būta''s are their patron's protectors with regard to a system of moral norms, not despite them.<ref name=":13" />

Feudal relations of tribute and fealty mark the relations among the humans in the tangible world, among spirits in the intangible world and between humans and spirits across tangible and intangible worlds. While the world of humans is ruled by a mortal king, the world of the spirits is ruled by Bermeru, the lord of the forest and of the būtas. And just as the landed aristocracy depended on protection and support from their king, the world of humans depends on protection and support from the spirits. Thus once in a year at the time of ''kōla'' or ''nēma'', the lord of the human world (patriarch, landlord, king) has to be reconfirmed in his authority by reporting to the spirit to which he is accountable. While the temporal lord's authority is dependent on the spirit'';'' the authority of the spirit is guaranteed by the active participation of the villagers in the ritual. Thereby a certain degree of political legitimacy is upheld by the active participation of the villagers. Their withdrawal from the ritual can seriously affect the authority of the landlord.<ref name=":14">{{Cite journal|last1=Carrin|first1=Marine|last2=Tambs-Lyche|first2=Harald|year=2003|title='You don't joke with these fellows.' Power and Ritual in South Canara, India.|journal=Social Anthropology |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages= 23–42|doi=10.1017/S0964028203000028}}</ref>

As Claus observes, the principal mediators in this network of feudal transactions are communities who once upon a time may have led a liminal life between {{lang|tcy-Latn|grāmya}} and {{lang|tcy-Latn|jāṅgala}}/{{lang|tcy-Latn|āraṇya}}.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal|last=Claus|first=Peter J.|year=1979|title=Spirit Possession and Spirit Mediumship from the Perspective of Tulu Oral Traditions|journal=Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry |volume=3|issue=1|pages=29–52|doi=10.1007/BF00114691|pmid=498800|s2cid=13641314}}</ref> Tribal communities living in and off the forest and trading in forest products were predestined to serve as spirit impersonators as their life world, the forest, is only the tangible side of the world of the spirits. In pursuit of their livelihood they regularly transgress structural boundaries between village and forest. They live on the margins of the village, in the wasteland between forest and field, thus they are themselves, in a sense, liminal. That such liminal people should be mediums for the spirits seems entirely apt. Today communities like Nalike, Parava or Pambada who impersonate different kinds of ''{{lang|tcy-Latn|būtas}}'' and ''{{lang|tcy-Latn|daivas}}'' can no longer be characterised as tribal. They are mostly landless agricultural labourers in the wet season and spirit impersonators in the dry season.

== Worship ==
[[File:Kantheri Dhumavathi 01.jpg|thumb|The temple of the deity Jumadi in Mangalore, India]]
Today feudal relations no longer obtain and thus former ruling families no longer hold any political or judicial office. But still the village demands that they sponsor their annual ''kōla'' or ''nēma'' to honour the village deity. The people believe that the neglect of the spirits will make their life miserable.<ref name=":13" /> Even though they may have changed, ''būta kōla'' and ''daiva'' ''nēma'' still serve secular as well as religious purposes. In fact the two cannot be separated in a world where the tangible is suffused with the intangible. As the cosmology underlying the ''pāḍdanas'' suggests, the very order of the human world and the order of the spirit world are interdependent.

''Būtas'' and ''daivas'' are not worshipped on a daily basis like mainstream Hindu gods. Their worship is restricted to annual ritual festivals, though daily ''pūjās'' may be conducted for the ritual objects, ornaments, and other paraphernalia of the būta.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Suzuki|first=Masataka|year=2008|title=Bhūta and Daiva: Changing Cosmology of Rituals and Narratives in Karnataka.|journal=Senri Ethnological Studies |volume=71 |pages= 51–85}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title="Kin Songs." In Gender, Genre, and Power in South Asian Expressive Traditions edited by Arjun Appadurai, Frank K. Korom and Margaret A. Mills|last=Claus|first=Peter James|publisher=Motilal|year=1991a|location=Delhi|pages=136–177}}</ref> Unlike with the better-known [[Religion:Hinduism|Hindu]] gods of the ''purāṇic'' variety, ''būta'' worship is congregational.

== Secular function ==
The secular function of the ''kōla'' or ''nēma'' has been described as a "sacred court of justice" where traditional (feudal) moral ideals are brought to bear on difficult real-life situations.<ref name=":13" /> ''Būta kōlas'' and ''daiva'' ''nēmas'' are assemblies of the entire village. Thus they become an occasion to resolve conflicts in the village.<ref name=":14" /> The royal ''daiva'' (''rājan-daiva)'' rules over a former small kingdom or large feudal estate. He or she is mostly the family deity of rich land-owning patrons of the ''Baṇṭ'' caste whose position and power they reflect, confirm and renew.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /> The relationship between the ''būtas'', manor heads, and the villagers forms a transactional network which reaffirms the caste hierarchy and power relations in a village.<ref name=":0" /> The duty assigned to every category is differential but based on mutuality. The manor head by staging the ''nēma'' seeks to symbolically proclaim himself to be the natural leader of the community.

The villagers offer ''sēva'' during the ''nēma'' in the form of service and prostrations and in doing so also offer their support to the ''nēma'' and their recognition of the leader's status. In return, the villagers expect justice and resolution of disputes by the ''daiva'' during the ''nēma.'' In the ''nēma'', the leading manors offer a part of their farm products to the ''daiva'', which are then redistributed to the villagers. The ''nēma'' thereby underlines the mutuality on which feudal relations used to be based and, in a limited way, takes care of the problem of social (distributive) justice. The ''būta''s receive these offerings and in return give oracles and blessings to ensure the future prosperity of the village (humans, animals, fields). Finally, a part of these offerings will be distributed as ''prasāda'' among the heads of the ''guṭṭus'' and other villagers according to their ranks.<ref name=":0" /> The system of entitlements is constituted in, or embodied by, the mutual gifting activity between the ''būta''s, as the ultimate owner of the land, and people in rituals, creating a transactional network among them.<ref name=":0" />

== Ritual script ==
The script of the ritual changes from one n''ēmā'' to another, thus the following description is somewhat ideal-typical. The ritual begins with the paraphernalia of the ''būta'' being brought to the shrine which serves as a venue for the festival. They are placed on an altar or on a swinging cot, which is the insignium of a royal būta (''rajan-daiva''). The Nalike, Parava or Pambada medium prepares for the impersonation of the spirit with a recital of from the ''pāḍdana'' of the ''būta'' or ''daiva''. After this, the medium starts putting on make-up and dressing up in his costume which may include an elaborate ''ani'' (a giant halo stringed to the back of the dancer). Finally, the medium is given the ornaments from the hoard of the shrine. As he enters the arena, the attendant of the spirit (''pātri'') gives him his sword, his bell and other paraphernalia and the patron (''jajmān'') gives him one or several burning torches. As the medium begins to dance, the spirit enters his body. Two people hold the torches along with the medium at all times. Thus, the entrance of spirit into this world is restrained. The medium's dance gains more force as the possession continues. He brings the torches dangerously close to his body. The ''jajmān'' now stands in a ritualistic circle on the ground with his assistants and offerings are made to the ''būta''. These offerings often include the sacrifice of a chicken whose blood is sprinkled on the ground to enhance the fertility of the land.<ref name=":2" /> These sacrificial acts are followed by offerings of puffed rice, beaten rice, coconut pieces, bananas, ghee, betel leaf, and areca nut.<ref>{{Cite book|title="Gods Going Wild? Enacting Loss of Control in Tulu Possession Rituals: A Photographic Case Study" in Emotions in Rituals and Performances edited by Axel Michaels and Christoph Wulf|last=Brückner|first=Heidrun|publisher=Routledge|year=2012|location=New Delhi|pages=214–233}}</ref> In the subsequent court of justice the spirit is approached by the villagers for blessings or asked to help resolve conflicts.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":14" /> The judicial program typically starts once the initial rituals are finished. Complaints and judgements are made orally. The ''būta'' issues the judgement after hearing the sides of the plaintiff as well as the defendant, if both are present. The ''būta's'' justice must be referrable to general principles. "He may take a stand, he cannot take sides".<ref name=":3" /> While the ''būta'' may take the opinions of the village headman and other eminent persons into consideration, the ultimate judgement rests with the ''būta''. Sometimes judgements are also issued by the tossing of betel leaves and the counting of flower petals (usually areca flower). Particularly difficult cases may also be adjourned to the next year by the ''būta''. Some common disputes that come up are related to land issues, family feuds, questions of honour, robbery, debt, mortgage, breach of contract etc. In cases of theft where the offender is unknown, the ''būta'' may ask for a certain offering before finding the thief. At times the victim offers the entire value of the stolen goods to the ''būta''. If the thief is found and penalised, the person is made to pay to the plaintiff a sum that is more than the value of the goods stolen. If the ''būta'' feels that the thief shows repentance, the gravity of the penalty could be reduced.<ref>{{Cite book|title="Judicial Aspects of Bhuta Cult." In Coastal Karnataka. Studies in Folkloristic and Linguistic Traditions of Dakshina Kannada Region of the Western Coast of India edited by U. P. Upadhyaya|last=Someshwar|first=Amrta|publisher=M. G. M. College Regional Research Centre|year=1986|location=Udupi|pages=301–318}}</ref>

== Channel/Medium ==

[[File:Castes and tribes of southern India. Assisted by K. Rangachari (1909) (14587481627).jpg|thumb|Buta Kola dancer from the Parava caste. {{circa|1909}}]]
The art of being a channel/medium is learned. Young boys belonging to the ''Pambada, Parava,'' ''Nalike'' castes attend rituals where their kin is performing; and they help out with shredding the coconut leaves for the garment of the channel/medium, holding the mirror while the channel/medium is putting on the make up etc. They learn the art of the performance by observing the performance of their kin and trying to mimic it.<ref name=":15">{{Cite journal|last=Ishii|first=Miho|year=2013|title=Playing with Perspectives: Spirit Possession, Mimesis, and Permeability in the Buuta Ritual in South India.|journal=Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute |volume=19 |issue= 4|pages= 795–812|doi=10.1111/1467-9655.12065}}</ref> Along with being able to mimic the way their kin performed, what is essential to be a successful channel/medium is also the aptitude of being possessed by the deity. There are certain rules the channel/medium needs to follow to prepare his body for the possession. This may include being a vegetarian and not drinking alcohol.<ref name=":15" /> The channel/medium feels the sudden spirit possession only for a few seconds but after that he is filled with the deity's energy that lets him behave as the deity for the entire ritual.<ref name=":15" />

There are two types of mediators between the spirits and the humans. The first type of mediator is known as the ''pātri.'' These are members of middle castes such as  ''Billava'' (toddy tappers, formerly also bow-men).<ref name=":2" /> The second type of mediator ("channels/mediums") typically belong to scheduled castes such as ''Pambada, Parava or Nalike.''<ref name=":2" /> While the ''pātri'' has only a sword and a bell as ritual tools, the channel/medium uses makeup, ornaments, masks etc.<ref name=":2" /> Both mediums are believed to channelise the deity from an altered state of consciousness. But while the channel/medium may speak as the ''būta'' (in the first person) and about the ''būta'' (in the third person, i.e. when he recounts his/her ''pāḍdana''), the pātri only speaks as the būta in the first person.

== Pārdana ==
''Pāḍdanas'' are songs that form a major part of Tuluva oral literature.<ref name=":4" /> Much of the body of this literature has been built on the legends of the ''būtas'' and ''daivas''.<ref name=":4" /> ''Pāḍdanas'' have numerous variations for the same narrative. As in other epic traditions, there is no single author. ''Pāḍdanas'' are orally transmitted and recited.<ref name=":1" /> The language of the ''pāḍdanas'' is old [[Social:Tulu language|Tulu]].<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":10" /><ref name=":2" /> Some famous examples are the ''Siri-Kumar Pāḍdanas'' and the Koti and Chennayya ''Pāḍdanas.'' The ''pāḍdanas'' sung by women while planting paddy are referred to as "field songs".<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":12">{{Cite book|title="Translating Performance." In Coastal Karnataka. Studies in Folkloristic and Linguistic Traditions of Dakshina Kannada Region of the Western Coast of India edited by U. P. Upadhyaya|last=Claus|first=Peter J.|publisher=M. G. M. College Regional Research Centre|year=1986|location=Udupi|pages=147–154}}</ref>

The ''pāḍdanas'' recite the origins of the spirits and deities. This is one way for the rituals to reconstruct the past and render a legitimization to it.<ref name=":2" /> The singers act as the indigenous narrators of the history of the native land. The ''pāḍdanas'' also stand in opposition to the ''puranic,'' male based principles as they highlight the feminine principles of mother earth. The ''pāḍdanas'' also reflect multi-socio-cultural background shifts (for example, the move from [[Social:Matrilineality|Matrilineal]] system to Patrilineal system). The older sense of cosmology is retained through the ''pāḍdanas''.<ref name=":2" />

== In popular culture ==
* The 1975 Kannada movie ''Chomana Dudi'' was the first movie to have a reference to the demi-god ''Panjurli''.<ref>[https://m.facebook.com/reel/1342281339864013/ Facebook post] {{user generated source|date=March 2023}}</ref>
* Koti Chennaya, a 2007 movie made in [[Social:Tulu language|Tulu]] which went to win the Best Tulu Film at the 54th National Film Awards.
* Deyi Baidethi, a 2019 Tulu-language historical film on the life of Deyi Baideti, mother of Koti and Chennayya.
* The 2022 Kannada film ''Kantara'' showcases the portrayal of Buta Kola in its main storyline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=what is bhoota kola the Tulu tradition |url=https://www.dailyo.in/amp/lifestyle/what-is-bhoota-kola-the-tulu-tradition-kannada-movie-kantara-is-based-on37616&ved=2ahUKEwin24KR7O36AhUlR2wGHUkHDbQQFnoECAsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2lnydCaw5Mmdn2lNPay5Ys |access-date=2022-10-20 |website=www.dailyo.in}}</ref> As a result of the movie, the Government of Karnataka introduced a monthly allowance for performers of Buta Kola who are over 60 years of age.<ref name="MSN 2022">{{cite web | title=Kantara, a film with impact: Karnataka Government announces monthly allowance for Daiva Narthakas | website=MSN | date=20 October 2022 | url=https://www.msn.com/en-in/entertainment/southcinema/kantara-a-film-with-impact-karnataka-government-announces-monthly-allowance-for-daiva-narthakas/ar-AA13buMS | access-date=20 October 2022}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Daiva.JPG|Channel/medium with the makeup of Jumadi, a popular deity of the Būta/Bhoota cult
File:Sanoor Bhootada Kola.jpg|Channel/medium of Koti and Chennayya preparing himself with the makeup and tying the ornaments before the start of the Bhūta Kōlā ceremony
File:Sirikattuna.jpg|Channel/medium tying the siri&nbsp;— palm leaves skirt around his waist
File:Daivasaana.jpg|Household shrine of Bellē Badagumanē, Belle, Udupi
File:Kallurti.JPG|Kallurti Bhoota, the female counterpart of Kalkuda Bhoota who is a deified spirit of a sculptor
File:Koti & Channaya 1.JPG|Koti and Chennayya two heroes of the Billava community
File:Giliga 2.JPG|Channel/medium of the wild deity Guligā
File:Malaraya 1.JPG|Malarāya Daivā, Kasargod, Kerala
File:Malaraya 2.JPG|Malarāyā's Mask
File:Malaraya 3.JPG|Malarāya Daiva on white boar chariot
File:Malaraya 4.JPG|Channel/medium of Malarāyā
File:Koyyuru Ullathi.jpg|Channel/medium of Ullālthi, the patron deity of the Banga Arasa princely family
File:Bobbarya Swami.jpg|Channel/medium of Bobbarāyā Swāmi, the patron deity of the Mogaveera community
File:Ani - this is the tulunadu (karnataka, India) Bhutaradhane - Bhuta ware the ani..JPG|This Halo like object is used by the channel/medium while performing the ritual dance.
</gallery>

== See also ==
*Aati kalenja
*Yakshagana
*Nagamandala
*[[Unsolved:Varaha|Varaha]]
*Gulikan Theyyam
*Theyyam

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==


[[Category:Shamanism]]

{{Sourceattribution|Buta Kola}}