Renegotiating Identities Through Reshaping Rituals: The Case of Bhutaradhane

Presenter:

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Abstract

Bhutaradhne is a distinctly unique ‘spirit worship’ tradition patronised by the Tulu community located along the west coast within the southern state of Karnataka in India. Pre-Brahmanical customs of spirit, ancestor, hero, totem and animal worship gets reflected in this tradition. The Bhuta cult is relatively crystallized through oral histories and organized belief systems. The tradition exhibits inextricable linkages between its rituality, visuality and materiality. Bhuta (spirit) worship is practised as private worship within the confines of a private residence or as highly visible performative rituals in public shrines known as Bhutasaanas. There are more than 300 known varieties of Bhutas. Different caste groups ascribe to different Bhutas and perform specific tasks during the ritual. There is a clear articulation of hierarchy through demarcation of space in the Bhuta shrine. Presently, the tradition of Bhutaradhane, notions of the shrine, the rituals performed in them and its material culture have become significant symbols for self-assertion and identity construction/negotiation for the Tulu community. Drawing from the author’s extended field experience in the region, this paper examines three aspects – firstly, it explores the operation of the dynamic right-wing forces permeating in the region and its effects on the rituals; secondly, it evaluates the relational systems between the increasing transnational economic activities and the visuality of the ritual; thirdly, it demonstrates how the community as whole and the various caste groups that operate within them deploy the visual imagery to further their aspirations and reshape identities.