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JANUARY, 1894.]
THE DEVIL WORSHIP OF THE TULUVAS.
Agelu-tambila is a kind of worship offered only to the Beiderlu, and that annually by the Billa vars only. The ceremonies connected with this worship are as follow:
On a fixed day all the Billavars of a village go to the yarudi, taking with them about seven sers of rice, various kinds of vegetables, yhí, curry-stuff, and other necessaries for the feast. The rice is boiled, and a curry prepared of the vegetables so brought, mixed with plenty of ghi. in the garudi itself. No fish or flesh of any kind may be used. The rice and curry are then served on three plantain leaves, one for each of the three heroes, Koti Beidya, Chennaya Beidya, and Kujumba Kanje, and placed before them. Saltron-water, made red by the addition of a little lime, is sprinkled on the food tbus served. Three lighted torches are then stuck in the rice, one on each leaf. After this, the assembled multitudes pray to the Beiderlu to be pleased with their offerings and to grant them prosperity. When the prayer is over, the food above mentioned is distributed among the worshippers, including portions for those who are absent, which are taken to them by their relatives or friends. In this way every one has a share of the sacred food, or prasáda.
It will be seen, then, that kola, bandi and néma are applicable to all the Bhutas, including the Beiderlu, but that the agel u-tambila is applicable only to the Beiderlu.
There is yet another kind of worship, called tambila, which is offered every year by the master of every Sudra household to his family-Bhatas, who invites as many of his relatives or castemen as he wishes to receive. Some cocks are brought and sacrificed in honor of the Bhútas, and are then used in making a curry. Cakes and other dainties are also prepared, and there is a family feast on the good things collected.
III.
Description of a Bhuta incantation, as practised in South Kanara (Madras Presidency).
witnessed by A. O. B. and J. H., on March 23rd, 1872, at Mangalore. In all parts of the Madras Presidency most of the purer Dravidian tribes, which it is generally the fashion to term the "lower castes," invoke as objects of worship beings, which really have no place in the Hindu Pantheon, and which bear purely Dravidian names. This worship prevails very extensively in Tinnevelly and South Kanara, and extends even to Ceylon. How far the beings worshipped are the same is doubtful. Some, e. g., Kutti-Kattan (Will-o-the-wisp or Corpse-candle), are feared over the greater part of Southern India.
This primitive religion is now no longer neglected by the self-styled "higher castes," which formerly merely tolerated, but now almost respect the barbarons rites; while some philanthropic Brâhmaņs labour to persuade the people that their gods are Bhutas, or attend. auts on 'Siva. These influences are apparent in the classification of the rites, which are déva kriyá or usuraksiyú, according as offerings are, or are not, made to the Bhůta. As the aboriginal “ Poyi” has been changed into “Bhata," so these rites have now a Sanskrit name, néma (i. e., niyama), and they are sans (i. e., sthana) or illéchchhida, according as they are performed at a temple or in a house, though in both cases it is said that there is no difference in the performance.
The ceremony at which we were present is of the second kind, and was celebrated by tha head-man of the Billavar (ie, toddy-drawers) caste, once in about twenty years. The expense, five hundred to a thousand rupees, falls on him, but he is partly compensated by gifts from the people who attend. Europeans have so often failed to get a sight of these rites, that, even after permission had been given as and we had accordingly attended, it seemed questionable whether we bad really seen the ceremony or had been imposed upon, and it was only after questioning a Bhâta priest, now a Christian, that we found out that what we saw was really the ceremony, and, therefore, we can confidently put forward this account of it.
