Bhute: Deccan
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Bhute
This article is an extract from THE CASTES AND TRIBES OF H. E. H. THE NIZAM'S DOMINIONS BY SYED SIRAJ UL HASSAN Of Merton College, Oxford, Trinity College, Dublin, and Middle Temple, London. One of the Judges of H. E. H. the Nizam's High Court of Judicature : Lately Director of Public Instruction. BOMBAY THE TlMES PRESS 1920 Indpaedia is an archive. It neither agrees nor disagrees |
Bhute, Bhope, Aradhi— a caste of religious mendicants, founded on the worsfiip of the goddess Bhavani of Tuljapur, in .the Usmanabad District, and originally recruited from among the Marathas. The etymology of the name ' Bhute ' is uncertain. The word ' Bhut ' means a ghost in Marathi and is popularly- given to these people as their designation, probably on account of the weird appearance they present to beholders while on their begging missions. They wear a long, oily, sombre gown, put on necklaces of cowrie shells hanging to their knees with silver or brass pendants marked with the image of the goddess Bhavani, and hold a lighted torch of rags (pot) in their hands. When dancing, they wave themselves to and fro and from side to side, touching, at the same time, their bodies with flames from the burning torch, and making a din with the cries of ' Udeh, Udeh ' (victory to the goddess) and with the sounds of their sambals (half drums), tals (cymbals) and tuntune (one stringed fiddle). The word ' Bhope ' is supposed to be derived from ' Bhup,' a king, and is the designation of those Bhutes who are actually engaged in the worship of the goddess : they say that they are so called because, like kings, they are allowed to use torchlight by day.
Origin
Very little is known regarding the origin of the caste, but the fact that a Kadam family of Marathas are the hereditary priests of the goddess and hold the entire village of Tuljapur in Inam, may suggest the conclusion that the original founder of this religious order was a Maratha of the Kadam clan. At the present day, the family has developed into fifty branches. These priests help the pilgrims who visit the temple of Bhavani, by arranging for their lodgings and food, and claim the offerings made tp, the goddess by her devotees.
Customs
Bhutes admit into their caste only members from the Maratha and Brahman communities. When a Brahman or a Maratha has no issue, or if his children are short lived, he makes a vow that if he begets two children he will offer one to the goddess Bhavani and make him a Bhutya. This child, when grown up, is taken to Tuljapur, where the head Bhute, or Patil Kadam, obtains the consent of the goddess to make him a Bhutya, worships her and puts the string of cowrie shells, worn by himself, round the neck of the newcomer. He then admits him into his caste and makes the
- fact known to the whole Bhute community. If the neophyte is poor,
he wears the badge of the goddess and begs in her name.
Internal Structure
Bhutes have no endogamous divisions : their exogemous sections are the same as those of the Marathas. Marriage bStween persons belonging to the same section is forbidden. Polygamy is permitted and, in theory, there is no limit to the number of wives a man may have.
Marriage
Girls are usually married before they reach the age of puberty. But the age at which a girl is married depends mainly upon the ability of her parents to defray the expenses of her wedding, and no social penalty is inflicted upon a man who allows his daughter to grow up unmarried. The marriage ceremony is of the standard type common among the Marathas. The Devak (marriage guardian) consists of a lotus flower. A mandap (wedding booth) is erected at the bride's house and the bridal couple stand under it facing each other. The officiating priest, who is a Brahman, holds a curtain (antarpat) between them and recites mantras or sacred hymns, while the assembled persons throw coloured rice over the heads of the couple. This is deemed to be the valid and binding portion of the ceremony.
Widows are not allowed to marry again, but divorce is permitted, with the sanction of the caste Pancha^at, on the ground of the wife's adultery.
Religion
The religion of the Bhutes is simply the average Hinduism of the middle classes, and calls for no special remark. Their special deity is Bhavani, to whom puja (worship) is offered ; some worship daily, and others ^jily on festive or religious occasions. Brahraans are employed for religious and ceremonial purposes. Among their greater gods are Shiva, Vishnu and Ganpati, while theiij minor gods include the cholera goddess Mari Ai and the goddess Sitala, who presides over smallpox. Women worship the tnlsi (Ocimum sanctum) plant and the umbar (Ficus glomerata) and pipal (Ficus religiosa) trees.
Disposal of the Dead
The dead, if males, are buried in a sitting posture, with the face pointing to the east, and a mound of earth is built over their remains. The bodies of women are burnt in a lying posture. Sradha and other funeral ceremonies resemble those in use among the Maratha Kunbis.
Social Status
Socially, the Bhutes rank with the Marathas and other castes of the same social standing. They are superior to the Gondhalis, who also recite religious songs and wear strings of cowrie shells.
Occupation
The characteristic occupation of the caste is begging. They leave their headquarters at Tuljapur in the month of Margashirsha (November-December) and wander all over the Deccan, going from village to village and from door to door, with a lighted torch in their hands, playing on samel (druffis), tdls (metal cymbals) and tuntune (a one stringed fiddle). They smear their foreheads with pinjar (red aniline powder), cover themselves with cowrie shells from head to foot and have a square breastplate (tak) hung from their neck. While begging, they dance, sing songs and touch their bodies with the burning torch. They return home at the end of Jeshtha (June) and pass the rainy season with their families. Of late years some of the Bhutes have taken to agriculture.
