Part 1.7 - Gods and Spirits

Long before Vaishnavism spread to Tulu nadu in the 8th century, the main deity of worship was Shiva (and Durga, as well as members of his family, Ganesha and Subramanya). As in the rest of India, temples built before the seventh century tended to be wooden and had long since died. It was only when the stone temples became routine after Chalukyas and Pallavas introduced them to the south that Tulu nadu also saw the explosion of a surviving stone temple. However, most temples erected today were built between the 13th and 16th centuries. The Tulu nadu Bunts were originally worshipers of Shiva as the rest of the population. Only after Shankaracharya's visit to the eighth century and the Vaishnavism momentum after Madhvacharya influence in the region in the fourteenth century, Bunts, like others in the region, adopted all forms of Hindu gods.

What is most exclusive of Tulu nadu's Bunt community is its reverence for various spirits in addition to the established gods of Hinduism. Daivas or bhutas, as they are mentioned, do not have an established form of physical representation. Symbolically, a piece of rock is sanctified and considered as bhuta. Figurines in wood or metal, often roughly carved, also used as symbols of bhutas, similar to the gods in many poor temples. Wooden planks or stone pillars with a niche and a conical or flat stone on top are also symbols of the spirit. Some of the strongest spirits have more elaborate stone pillars and may even have permanent dwellings similar to temples called bhuta stanas. These sanctuaries are not elaborate, but are simple structures, usually single cells with thatched roofs that protrude. Several weapons, wood or metal, are stored in the stana of Bhuta.