Performing Art · Karnataka
Bhootharadhane
ಭೂತಾರಾಧನೆ
Coastal Karnataka's ancestral spirit-worship ritual, in which a performer is believed to become the vessel for a guardian spirit.
Understand
Where Bhootharadhane comes from
Bhootharadhane is coastal Karnataka's ancestral spirit-worship ritual, performed by hereditary performer communities who are believed to become the vessel for a bhoota, or guardian spirit, during the ritual.
How it's practiced
The performer dons elaborate costume, face paint and headgear, then dances through the night to drumming and chanting, entering a trance state in which the spirit is believed to speak and bless the village through them.
Coastal Karnataka's ancestral spirit-worship ritual, in which a performer is believed to become the vessel for a guardian spirit.
From discovery to practice
The Journey
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More traditions of Karnataka
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