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COORG SUPERSTITIONS.
JUNE, 1873.]
outside a temple, with a Brahman Pûjâri, and only at some distance from his Paja-seat receives fowl-sacrifices from the hands of the Coorgs. Among the Talus he holds about the same position; among the Tamilas he seems to bear more of the Demon character.
3. Kutti Châtta, a pure Demon that is found also among the Tamilas and Tulus. It means "the small Châtta (or Sâtta)."
4. Karu Vâla, i. e. he of the black sword. This is a Maleyala and Tulu Demon.
5. Guliga (the Kulika of Sanskrit dictionaries), a stone under a jack or other tree with abundant sap. The Coorgs have this Demon in common with the Tamilas and Tulus. By the Tamilas he is stated to be one of the eight Serpents supporting the eight angles of the world; but this idea is not familiar among the Coorgs. One thing, however, connects him with serpents also in Coorg, viz. the notion, though not at all general, that where a Guliga is, also a Nata or Någa stone ought to be.t Guliga means either "he of the pit," or perhaps "he who is united" (so as to be ringled ?).
One or more Coorgs of the house to which a Guliga belongs go to it once a year with one of the three above-mentioned Maleyâlas, who breaks a cocoanut, kills a fowl, and offers some arrak (his reward being a quantity of rice). This is done with the object of averting contagious cattle-disease. If it happens that the Brahmans declare, and are believed, that some Guligas have become impure, they are sent to cleanse them with water-for which performance they are presented with some rice. To the Nâta stone, once a year, pûjâ is per formed by a Brahman, and people from the neighbouring Coorg house go and light lamps to it.
6. Kõraga. This and the next are expressly stated to have been introduced by the Tulus. It may mean "he who cuts into pieces," or "he who dries up"-perhaps the sap of the body, or also "the snorer."
7. Kallugutti (Kallu-Kutti), i. e. he who strikes with stones. Throwing stones at houses
They are: Vienki, Ananta, Takka (Taksha), Sankhapala, Guliga, Padma, Maha Padma, Karkotaka.
Probably on very few of the Coorg Naga stones is the form of a serpent. Should, after all, in spite of Professor Benfey's ingenious guess (någa snaga, snake), NAga be Dravidian? NAta means smell, stench.
There is a jungle tribe in Tulu called the Kõragas, who make baskets and mats of split bamboos.
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and people is thought to be a trick of certain Demons.
8. Panjuruli (Panji-Uruli), i. e. pigrider. Among the Tulus, from whom he no doubt came, he is represented by an idol on the back of a pig. Brass images of Demons are most frequent with the Tulus.
9. Kuranda, i. e. perhaps "the blind one," or "the shaky (unsteady) one." He is a specific Demon of the Coorg Holeyas or out
castes.
10. Tammacha. A jungle and hunting Demon that receives bloody sacrifices, but no pigs. He is especially the Demon of the Malĕ Kudiyas, i. e. hill-inhabitants, and is said to sow the cardamom seeds: these spring up whereever a big tree is felled in certain parts of the Western Ghats.
II. FEMALES. 1. Châmundi or Chaundi (Châvu-Undi),§ i. e. either "death-mistress," or "she who preys upon death." Her name translated into Sanskrit is Mârî, the killer. She is also named Masani (Smasân î), the woman of the burial-place. This Chamundi is always a mere stone, which is sometimes enclosed in a small temple but for which there never is a Brahman Pajari. She has three other appellations: Bête Châmundi, i. e. Hunting-Châmundi, Kari Chamundi, i. e. dark Châ munḍi, and Puli Chamundi, i. e. Tiger-Châmundi. Another name is Bête Masani, and a stone of this appellation is kept by some people in their houses to invoke for hunting purposes.
2. Karingali (Kari-Káli),|| i. e. the dark black one. She has only one place in Coorg, viz. at the village Kutta, where she is represented by some stones in an enclosure. She is so terrible that no Coorg of the old school likes to utter her real name; she is therefore generally called "the deity of Kutta." An Okkaliga, i. e. a Kanarese peasant, is her Pajari.T At her yearly masquerade (Kola, the Canarese tere) Botta Kurubas (hill-shepherds) and Maley as use to dance, but no Coorgs. Regarding the animals to be decapitated on that
This Demon is throughout Dravidian.
KAli's root is Kar, Kal, to be black; Krishna probably belongs to this same root.
With the Tamilas the Pajaris at the pagodas of Durga are Pandaras, a class of agricultural labourers or Sadras. The Coorgs are peasants or Sadras themselves.
