What is Bhoota Kola, the Tulu tradition Kannada movie Kantara is based on?

If you were mesmerised by the 'Bhoota Kola' performance in the Kannada movie Kantara and were wondering what it is all about, here's a look into the centuries-old tradition.

Some context:  I was 10 and spending my summer vacations at my native place in Mangaluru when my uncle offered to take me and my cousins to watch a Bhoota Kola. He thought that watching costumed divine men dance late in the night would be a unique experience for us and hence made a quick plan. We kids were instructed to sleep well in the afternoon so that we could be awake enough to watch the performance late at night. Our plan was to pray to the local deities Jarambeya and Banta (who were being invoked at this Kola), have dinner with fellow villagers and watch the costumed dancers do their magic all night long. 

(If you have watched Kantara, you would remember how the movie shows divine costumed men first channel the energy of Lord Panjurli and then Lord Guliga Deva in the climax. Similarly, the Kola I attended was held in the honor of the local deities Jarambeya and Banta' and we were to witness two costumed men channel the energies of these two deities.)

The setup: The Kola (or dance performance for the Gods) is basically performed in an area near the temple of the village deity which is usually close to large open fields. The divine medium start their traditional performances as the local folklore called 'paddanas' are recited. This starts at about 7-7.30 pm, and as the evening passes, the performance eventually turns into a slightly more divine experience.

The mediums invoke certain deities and then channel the energy of the local deity till the wee hours of the morning. The divine mediums bless the villagers, solve family issues, resolve disputes and issue directions and remedies. Since the divine speaks through them, the medium's words are considered to be the 'holy law'. 

Did I watch all of this back then? No. I could not sleep out of excitement during the day and when we reached the Kola ground, I prayed, ate dinner, saw the dancers for about 15 minutes, and then, dozed off. So when I watched Kantara recently, the natural curiosity to learn more about the tradition (that I clearly slept through as a child) came back. And here's what I learned about it:  

1. Have villagers always worshipped evil spirits in Bhoota Kola? The word 'Bhoota' generally has a negative connotation and gives a perception of ''evil spirits'', ghosts, or even ''bhoot pret'' that cause trouble, But in Tulu, the words 'Bhoota' and 'Daiva' mean the same thing ie. 'God'. 'Kola' means 'performance' which generally goes on from dusk to dawn. People worship their local deities who protect their land and the practice has been continuing for the last 300 to 500 years. Though precise records do not exist, many historic records indicate that the practice of 'Bhoota Aaradhane' was already established 200 years before the 1800s.  

2. Why is this done? Mangaluru and many parts of Karnataka are made up of many small villages. The villagers and their ancestors believe that certain Gods protect their lands and take care of their everyday affairs even today. Since Gods protect these villages from problems and notorious evil events, villagers pray together at festivals like Kolas and seek these deities' blessings, grace, and prosperity. Sometimes it is also organised to seek God's blessing for special events in a person's life ie before marriage or before setting up a new temple or before moving to a new house etc.

3. Who manages the 'Kolas'? Most villages have a certain set of people or families that have been coming together for generations to organise these Kolas. Since the responsibility to organise a Kola falls on specific families, these responsibilities also pass on to the male heir of every generation. Kolas also serve as occasions for villagers to donate offerings for their Gods, as the families usually take about a month to prepare for the Kola. During this month, villagers help the main family and work together to honor their village deity once or twice a year or on special occasions. 

4. What kind of rituals and traditions are involved? Kolas usually involve traditions where idols that represent ‘bhoothas’ are taken out in a 'wedding-like' procession while villagers blast firecrackers. (Remember how the idol of a wild boar is worshipped and paraded around town in Kantara?) After a few rituals and certain musical notes during the poojas, a priest usually mediates between a darshanapatri (the person who is possessed) and the villagers. This darshanapatri may or may not be dressed up in fancy costumes. 

At the time of the dance performance, certain other divine men who channel divine energy are decked up in specific colors, paints and jewellery. When the darshanapatri is possessed, he channels the energies of the local deity and translates the directions by pacing up and down or by giving certain actions towards individuals. He may end up rolling his eyes, shivering, crying out aloud while others shower him with flowers.  

5. What deities are invoked? The divine channelers paint their faces and bodies depending on the deity they want to channel. Every deity has its specific discipline in terms of color, flowers and decor.

A medium's yellow-painted face invokes 'Panjurli' while a milder painted face invokes 'Varthe'. Invoking 'Guliga' requires an extremely aggressive painted face like black and red. Each deity gets its own kind of peculiar music and the music changes depending on the time of the performance.

(Kantara's climax scene has Shiva coincidentally colored in black mud while channeling Guliga whereas the initial scenes have men with yellow faces channeling Panjurli).

6. What else? 

• The Kolas are known to be a lavish affair and sometimes turn out to be even more lavish than South Indian weddings. 
• They are organised over two-three days and the organising family has to feed two meals to the entire village for those 2-3 days.
• The organising family sends invites (just like a wedding invite) to the community and villagers contribute money, flowers, fruits, or food- grains at least once every year for their village Kola. Once the practice of donating begins, the same cannot be discontinued by them or the next generations. 
• A typical Kola can cost about Rs 5 to 10 lakh.
• By the end of the Kola, the spirits have to confirm if they have accepted the Kola performed in their honor. They confirm their satisfaction by drinking the fresh milk of a cow and eating a banana. Once the priests and the divine men are offered rice and dosas, the ceremony comes to an end. 
• Does it always go as per the plan? Mostly, but there can be exceptions, like below: