What is Daiva?

The religion of Tulu Nadu in southern Karnataka and parts of Kerala “Daivas” are worshipped. They are local folks who are also known as Bhuta or spirits, whose worship goes probably back to the pre-Vedic times. There has been no exact research on when their worship started.

In Hinduism, deities are classified according to their patronage. Some are kuladevta, who belong to a tribe, some are gramdevta, who belong to a village tribe, some are ishta-devta, adored by individuals. Daivas are known as kshetrapalas, or guardian deities of a significant land.

Daivas are historically worshipped in the open and belong to a local tradition that is distinct from some parts of mainstream Hinduism. These local deities’ worship during the festival of bhoota kola, in which dance performers imitate the spirit that is believed to be possessed by the deity.

Some of the famous daivas or bhutas are panjurli, bobbarya, pilipoota, kalkuda, kalburti, pilichamundi, guliga and koti chennya. The daivas were worshiped as unstructured stones, under a tree in an open place. But after some centuries, idols started to be used for daiva worship.

Mythology of Panjurli and Guliga

The movie “Kantara” revolves around the worship of 2 divas- Panjurli and Guliga. The story of Panjurli comes from oral tradition. According to this story, a wild hog had died in the delightful garden of Shiva and Parvati, and it was a young one taken by Parvati as her child. This young boar grew up as a very brutal and Shiva decided to kill him. But Parvati loved the boar, so she convinced Shiva not to kill her pet. Hence lord shiva ejected the wild boar to earth and it was allocated to protect people and receive tribute to them. Hence this boar becomes Bhuta or a spirit known as Panjurli. This myth reflects the blend of a local cult into Shaivism.

The story of Guliga is similar and involves Shiva, Parvati, and eviction. Guliga was born from a stone and this stone was found by Parvati in the pile of ash, and when shiva threw this in water, it gave birth to Guliga. He was sent to Vishnu to serve him, but due to his nature, Vishnu curses him to earth.

According to mythology, Panjurli and Guliga fought over the same land but eventually entered into a truce after goddess Durga meditated. Later Guliga becomes a close partner and even a worshipper of panjurli. Hence these two daivas are worshipped together.

The Bhoota Kola festival

The daiva or Bhuta is worshipped during the yearly Bhoota Kola festival, celebrated between December to May as per Tulu Calander. In this festival, the performer wears a costume and makeup to imitate the spirit and dance in a trance. The performers are believed to be possessed by the spirit. The performer acts like an oracle, offering solutions to people’s problems and resolving their arguments.

Folks belonging to various castes and communities are part of festivals and perform particular roles during the ceremony. This festival is held in the holy place where the deity is believed to reside. The Bhoota Kola festival influence the popular art form Yakshagana.  

The administration of the movie “Kantara”, has revived an interest in the worship of daivas and other related folk traditions. It is also hoped that this will motivate greater interest in the local deities and their tradition across India.

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