Boota Kola - the divine drama of the spirits and humans by Aishwarya Lakshmi

“The divine drama of the spirits and humans”: Boota Kola- An intimate relationship between man and nature

There is a famous saying in Tulu, “Nambidinayan kai budaye. Nambandinayan nambave” (I shall not leave the ones who believe in me and shall make the non-believers believe in me)

While the rich oral records talk about this ballad as the story of gods, Boota Kola is one of the oldest traditions known for its cultural heritage and captures narratives from mythology, history, and daily life. With the belief system revolving around the Hindu pantheon, this captivating dance honours around 400 local spirits or deities each of whom has a unique story of their own.

These tales talk about the deity’s relationship with the territory and people’s faith in the deity. It is believed that once a favourable home is followed or found, the deity settles down and lives amongst them and is worshipped for peace and prosperity. While the landlord or the king is a mere guardian and a representative who maintains law and order, the land belongs to the daiva who brings in a balance between good and greed.

Each Daiva has a human-related origin where the heroes of the region fight for the region and some of them die as brave hearts. Worshipped as Panjurli, Pilipoota, Kalkunda, Kalburti, Pilichamundi, Guliga and Koti Chennaya, these spirits are believed to be the kshetapalakas guarded the local lands and protected those who prayed to them.

Once you understand and appreciate other people's cultural backgrounds, then you can also connect with them more. - Unknown

Guddada bhuta (deity on the hill), Daiva darshana, and Guttumane (ancestral homes in coastal Karnataka) have been a part of my childhood lunchtime stories or office coffee table gossip. My Tulu friends would take about their experiences on how Panjurli daiva resolved a decade-old family issue or Guliga’s wrath was calmed down with a goat sacrifice at the ancestral temple or even casual well-being conversations with the deity himself. While some of the descriptions were too far-fetched at the time, they resonate with the deep belief in an emotion beyond words and an unfathomed relationship with it.

“Manasana yochana untu? Daivada munde helu, Daiva kelthu, ninge parihara untu.” Koollake baa magalee, daivaradhane yella samasyege parihara” (When you doubt in mind, put your fears out and Panjurli daiva (Panjurli deity) will help you. Trust him and he will help you through. Come attend the Koola my dear, all your problems will be resolved).  I would often listen to my friend’s grandmother telling us about the “Daivaradhane” being a yearly affair in their ancestral home. My friend’s family hails from a remote village near Kundapura and they come from a line of local chieftains who were the guardians of the bootha. “It takes an entire village to host the event, which begins with planning for the deity’s procession, to the Kola decorations and the mela celebrations. It was a day we all waited for and enjoyed the most”, her grandmother would often tell us. I still yearn for an opportunity to visit the place and witness the spectacle when the gods hail down and spend quality time amongst us cautioning us on what to do and what not to do.

India is a land of cultural interjections with similar practices and traditions seen around but with different names. A couple of trips around the coastal areas of Karnataka and Kerala give in a glimpse of the involvement of people who follow a strict ritual to set the stage and the procession for their deity. Theyyam (just like the Boota Kola) undergirds the everyday lives of people across castes and classes who believe that all good and bad things in life are affected and affected by the local deities tied to the land. The world of these deities thus exists and is embodied in the Theyyam dance during the ritual.  

When the drama of gods is larger than life, the intense makeup and traditional attire resonate with the vibrance of their existence and majesty.

Dressed in the local attire and singing in high-pitched voices, the performers stun the audience with unique attire swords, bells, garlands of indigenous flowers, burning torches and painted faces mimicking the deity’s appearance or personality. The striking music and energetic performances channel as a medium of interaction, entertainment and at times a warning.

The face and the body represent the deity they channel and the colour and attire represent their identity. A performer invoking Panjurli or Varthe has a yellow-painted face with mild facial expressions while Guliga who is believed to be pole apart is an aggressively black face painted performer. Similarly, the music, the drum beats and the surrounding environment is different for different Daivas and the Kola performances varies from one to another. The performer transforms into the deity at the need of the hour and is much feared and highly respected for he serves as the medium for the god. People are given a chance to put their troubles before him and his verdict for it is considered final. When the performance comes to an end, the deity blesses the village with prosperity and good health and assures them of this visit the following year.

“….. my father often told me about the sacred stone and the forest. He would say if you listen to her carefully, the forest will talk to you and help you out.” (Dialogue from the movie Kantara)

The popularity of spirits among common folks comes from the fact that spirits are more approachable than Gods, as God does not directly appear before anyone. It is easy to instantly share problems, interact or ask for guidance as the impersonator is treated as the daiva himself. Any conflict resolution between the bhuta, gutta (home), and the people who worship it affirms the hierarchy and power relationship of the region. There is a strong underlying the cosmos and the grand pantheon where the human world and the spirit world are interdependent.

This fiery folk art does not just invoke the holy spirits but highlights the mutual dependency of man and nature. It holds on to the idea of their co-existence, where the trust in God completes the duties of man.

For people living in these regions, Bhoot kola remains an anchor between the familiar world, changes, and uncertainties with a sure answer for any problem posed to the Daiva. The dance is a magical sight in itself but what is more capturing is the post-performance ritual. The performer, believed to be the spirit deity itself, gives confidence and blessings to all those present in the vicinity and some cases resolve the problem of those who are desperate for a solution. Bhoota kola continues to hold the sway between them. Through art, tradition, storytelling, and psycho-cultural phenomenon, it stands as an excellent example of our longing for an intimate connection with nature.

Like all living systems, cultures cannot remain static; They evolve or decline, they explore or expire. - Buzz Aldrin

 

Pictures are by Satishlal Andhekar at Moodubidiri, Karnataka. These photographs were displayed at Janjatiya Gaurav, a photo exhibition organised to celebrate tribes, culture and tradition. Thank you Satishlal. Thank you Chandasekhar Singh for helping us with us. 

References:

1. Bhoota Aradhane: Where ‘Possession’ Is An Art https://www.indica.today/long-reads/bhoota-aradhane-where-possession-art/

2. Bhoota Kola: Anchor for people in Dakshina Kannada and North Malabar https://frontline.thehindu.com/arts-and-culture/cinema/the-kantara-phenomenon-bhoota-kola-remains-an-anchor-for-people-in-dakshina-kannada-and-north-malabar/article66124415.ece

3. What traditional ‘Theyyam’ ritual means to the Dalit community in Kerala https://theprint.in/pageturner/excerpt/what-traditional-theyyam-ritual-means-to-dalit-community-in-kerala/1292544/

4. Guttumanes of Tulu Nadu https://www.sahapedia.org/guttumanes-tulunadu-fountainhead-tulu-identity

5. Dance of the spirits: Bhutakola of Dakshin Kannada https://www.sahapedia.org/dance-spirits-bhuta-kola-dakshin-kannada