170

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.

occasion in Kutta I had unfortunately been misinformed when I wrote my first article.” Karing fili has been raised so high as to be offered no pigs, but only fowls!—possibly from the fear arising from publicly declaring her to be a demon.

3.

Ba dra Kál i, as Kā du B a dra Kāli

i. e. the Badra Kāli of the jungle.

She has a

Brahman as Pūjāri; but near her place is another stone at which either the Coorgs them selves, or by their order, Malëyas offer fowls and goats. She has this character also among the Tulus, who once a year send a Brahman to serve her; sometimes the Brahman (against his caste-rules) orders a bloody sacrifice. By put ting the epithet Bhadra (propitious, happy) to Kãli the Brahmans may have tried to change the demon's character:

Bhadra

means also

[JUNE, 1873.

to the Tamila reading, Mother Kāli who is the impetuous incubus.

III. BiRAs.-Another class of beings whom the Coorgs believe to exist is still to be men tioned, viz. the Biras. They are said to be human souls transformed to demons." Such people as die a violent death are likely to be. come Biras.

Bfras have their stones at which

bloody sacrifices are offered (fowls and also pigs). Deities, sometimes called Rain-gods. The so-called Deities (deva, devi) of the Coorgs are known by their being connected with regular temples (tirikā, lit. sanctuary), Brahman Pājāris, and partly with idols. They are partly demons in a Brahmanical garb, partly entire importations.

Such of them as are represented either by

“gold”—conf. No. 10. 4. Kun damme (Kunda-Amme), i. e. hill mother: not general. 5. Karing 5 rati (Kari-Kjrat), i. e. the dark Körati. Körati is also among the Tulus.

stones or by images, or by both, are the males Ayyappa and Mahā deva (Omkáreśvara, Linga), both being nearly identical; and the

She appears to be a female form of Köraga:

patron of huntsmen; he receives the same hunt ing implements as the jungle-Ayyappa"; his bloody sacrifices (or rather those connected with his host of Demons) are performed by the Coorgs at some distance from the temple, the Brahman Pājāriremaining in the temple. Mahā deva is quite modern Brahmanical, as no animals are

see Males, No. 6.f.

6.

Kalluruti (Kallu-Uruti), i. e. stone

roller. She and the next are pointed out as having been imported by Tulus.

7. Nuch chutte (Nuchchu-Utte), i.e. pro bably “she who feeds on broken grains.” 8. Nanja v va (Nanju-Avva), i. e. poison mother. . She and the next two are demons of

the Coorg Hölöyas. 9. Ni li Avva, i.e. black mother. Ni li

is the name of a crafty demon among the Ta milas.; 10. Pö n n a fig a 1 am me (Ponnu-aft-kálu

female B a dra Kāli. Occasionally a face is painted on Mahādeva's stone.

As a temple-deity also Ayyappa is the

killed for him.

The temple Badr a Kāli (also called Pö. gödi, Pav č di, a tadbhava of Bagavati) is considered by some Coorgs to be one with Chā mundi. Her bloody sacrifices, consisting of fowls, goats, and buffaloes, are made in the vicinity of

her temple. About every second year a buffalo sacrifice takes place. The decapitator is a Pa

Amme), i. e. mother with the bright (or golden) foot-sole. But is she not likely to be the same as the Tamila A figã li,A figã lam me?§ Then the translation might be : Mother Kāli, who is

ruva (Méda), an outcaste who makes bamboo

the bright incubus (conf. No. 3). Other Coorgs

hire a Pariya (i. e. drummer) to perform the

mats and baskets and beats the big drum (hām barā) at certain festivities. Also the Tamilas

pronounce the name Pann afig filam me; in

decapitation at their Badra Kāli sacrifices.t. In

this case the composition might be Pannañ-kálu

4mme, i. e. mother of strong feet, or, according

the Tulu country the peasants (Banta, Gauda), though employing the Paruvas at masquerades,

• There are many Coorgs that have never acquired the

knowledge of such particulars. Wide ante, p. 48. f In Tamila a female basket-maker who at the same

male devil, Pêychchi, being a female of them, is not found among the Coorgs and Tulus. The feminine form strongly reminds one of Pisáchi, a word that is known and used

time divines by cheiromancy is called Kuratti.

everywhere in the South.

I. Zieg. p. 186.

§ Regarding this Añgålamme, see Zieg. p. 164 seqq. | Wiras? or Bhairavas?

" Pêy (i. e. wicked), the Tamila word to denote a

• It may be remarked here that, as a rule, at all places

(tridents) are

• with Coorg superstition, Triśālas

Ollºlol.

+ Zieg. p. 172.