Indian Antiquary Vol 02

SR No.: 032494
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 428
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 20 MB

Page 54

48
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[FEBRUARY, 1873.
a cocoanut, fried rice, and other eatables, and some arrack, and offers them in the court-yard. When in the state of trance, various questions are put to him by the people of the house, and also by neighbours. The food given him during the performance is also Karana Bâraņi. The masks having been finished, a pig, fattened expressly for the purpose, is decapitated in front of the Kaymala, either by the Maleyaļa, or by a Coorg of the house pointed out by him ; its head is put for some minutes in the Kaymada, and it is then taken back and given to the Malevala. The rest of the pig and the bodies of the fowls (the heads belonging to the Maleyaļa performer) are made into curry for the benefit of the house-people. Where there happens to be no Kaymada, the pig-offering is made at the Karana Kôța.
Females also behave now and then as if possessed by ancestral spirits." While thus affected they roll about on the ground, but they do not give utterance to any oracular responses. Sometimes threats are sufficient to cast out the ghosts ; at other times it is found necessary to call in sorcerers, either Coorgs or others, who, with the accompanying recitation of certain formulas, beat the possessed, or rather the ghosts, as the people think; and if this procedure proves ineffectual, the presenting of offerings (bali) is then resorted to.
(B) Coorg DEMON WORSHIP. Male and female demons, called Kaļi,t are held to be even more injurious than ancestral ghosts. One of the bad tricks of the Kûļis is their carrying off the souls of dying people. Whenever sore trials arise in a house, and strange voices are thought to be heard in and near it, a Kaniya, i. e., astrologer (in this case a Maleyâļa), is enquired at regarding the cause. If he declares that some relative of the house has not died in the natural way, but has been killed, and the soul carried off by a demon belonging to the house or to the village, or to some other village, a Kuļi Kôla, i. e., demonmasque, has to be performed for the liberation of the soul. As such a masque, however, takes place only at fixed periods (at a place called Kutta once a year, at other places once every second or third year), the master of the house ties some money to a rafter of the roof of his house, as a pledge of his willingness to have the masque performed at the proper time, or to go
• It may be remarked here that people are said to become possessed not only by ghosts, but also by demons
to one ; or he ties his brass plate up there and eats his rice from plantain leaves, to express his humble obedience to the demon. If the time for the demon-masque has come, one of the previously mentioned Maleykļa performers, or in his stead a Tuļu Paleya, is sent for ; and when he arrives he goes through the ceremony in the court-yard. Demon-masques are held either in the name of five Kaļis (Chamundi, Kalluruti, Panjuruli, Gaļiga, and Góraga, called the Pancha Bhậtas), or in the name of three (Kallugutti, Panjuruli, and Kalluruţi), or in the name of one (e.g. Châmundi). Several of the demon-masques are performed in the same manner as the ghostmasque, already described, the food which the performer takes in his trances being called Koļi Bâraņi. The liberation of the soul is effected thus : the performer, when representing the demon that has committed the theft, is begged to let the spirit loose ; he generally refuses at first to listen to the request ; but in the end he throws a handful of rice on such members of the household as stand near him, and with this action he gives the spirit over to them. The spirit alights on the back of one of these members of the family, who then falls into a swoon, and is carried by the others into the house. When, after a little while, consciousness is restored, the ancestor's spirit is considered to have joined the assembly of the other spirits.
If the liberation is to be obtained at the demon-masque of the village, or at that of another village, a man of the house goes to the performance, and presents a cloth to the performer, for which he receives in return a handful of rice, a piece of a cocoanut, or some such trifle, which is thrown into his lap, the spirit at the same moment coming and mounting the man's back. He has then to run off with his burden without looking backwards ; but after a while the spirit relinquishes his seat, and follows him quietly into the house and joins its fellowspirits.
The final act at a demon-masque is the decapitation of pigs either by the performers, or by Coorgs under their superintendence. One pig only is sacrificed if it is merely a house affair ; but several must suffer if the ceremony is performed for a village, or for the whole country, at the place called Kutta. Pigs must be killed in front of the so-called Kaļi Kota (fowls are killed upon it); and the general demon-masque of (Kaļi), and 80-called deities. t Káli means " wicked one;" it occurs also in Tamil.