The West
Coast of India especially the Uttara Kannada district, shares several aspects
of cultural history and evolution with Dakshina Kannada - Udupi ( literally, Tulunadu)
though language differs in these region. The features of worshipping ancient Spirit forms and other
tribal deities has been a common phenomenon, though vestiges of ancient cults
are gradually undergoing changes or evolution in the course
of time.
In the post
381 we discussed about the character of Babru- vāhana that has appeared in the epic
Mahabharata.
Bobru-deva
In the
suburb of Ankola town in Uttara Kannada district, we can find a village known
as “Bobru-Wāda”. One of the interesting features of this village is a temple
dedicated to “Bobru-deva”.
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| Bobrudeva, idol at Bobruwada, Ankola. |
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| Entrance to the temple of Bobrudeva, Bobruwada, Ankola |
The temple
houses a black idol of Bobru-deva in sitting posture. The
people around told that the new idol was installed about six years ago. The
earlier image had a ferocious façade like those of rakshas characters; but the
present idol has a pleasant face.
It appears
that Bobru was a martyred hero, who was worshipped as a spirit after his
lifetime. In the rural tribal people of the region, the Bobru, and Babri etc
are known to be the common names, though nowadays the trends are changing in favor
of modern style personal names.
Bobbarya
In Tulunadu, Bobbarya is a well known Spirit deity. The origin of the name of the Spirit Bobbarya has been obscure and controversial. One gets a feeling whether the name Bobbarya was derived from or related to the tribal name of Bobru or the Bobba.
Bobbarya
In Tulunadu, Bobbarya is a well known Spirit deity. The origin of the name of the Spirit Bobbarya has been obscure and controversial. One gets a feeling whether the name Bobbarya was derived from or related to the tribal name of Bobru or the Bobba.
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