Swami Koragajja - The Cult of Spirit Worship in Tulunadu

 

People of Tulunadu worship spirits, same as how people worship different forms of Gods. The concept of idol worship wasn’t in existence until recent years, so the people in tulunadu believed in spirits.Tulunadu has a tradition of Spirit worship possibly dating back to 700-800 BC coinciding with the immigration of the Early Tulu tribes who introduced the initial cults of Bermer and Panjurli.These spirits are considered as the savior of the community and they are worshiped as the ultimate deity in Dakshin Kannada, udupi and Kasaragod district, which is considered as Tulunadu as a whole. These spirits are known as Daiva (in Tulu and Kannada) & gods are called as Dever ( in tulu ).Daivas are bit different from the gods we worship. Daivasthanas are the place of worship for these daivas in tulunadu.

Bootha Kola also known as the worship of Daivas or Demi-Gods is performed annually in daivasthanas. These bootha Kolas are generally performed by professionals who basically belong to the lower castes of the society. It is believed that during Kola, for a fraction of seconds the real Daiva’s Spirit comes into the person performing it and they predict or can foresee the future. They are worshiped with utmost respect and dignity by the entire tulu community. 

Daivas are utmost sincere in fulfilling the prayers but at the same time, they should be worshipped and treated with the utmost care and respect. Their wrath is meant to be very dangerous if they get hurt in any way. On the other hand, they will protect and bless the place and people where they are worshipped and honored. In such a big set of spirits, Koragajja is considered as one of the most sacred and sought spirit in and around Mangalore

Koraga thaniya (Koragajja)

Koraga thaniya who is widely called koragajja, is one of the most sacred and popular local deity along the coast. He is called by several others names as we proceed from south towards north, But in Mangalore he is called as Koragajja. Here “Koraga is the community name and “Ajja” refers to Grandfather or old male citizen in tulu. Even Though thaniya attained divinity in the age of 16, people of the land started calling him Ajja with love and affection. Koraga thaniya is a historical figure and not a mythical creation. He lost both of his parents in a very young age & went homeless as a kid, he was later adopted by Bairakke Baidyedi who was into Kali (toddy) business.

 People these days claim that Koraga thaniya is a Avatar of lord Shiva & some consider him to be the attendant of lord shiva, which many people still deny since the concept of gods and spirits is different from each other.  Dravidian of India worshiped their ancestors, who did extraordinary things for the greater good to their community. Due to which they were recognized and worshipped by their later descendants. Koragajja is one of those spirits and we believe that if we pray to Koragajja we will immediately find things that we have lost. Devotees earlier offered Palm wine but now it is changed to other alcholic drinks, betel nut and chakkuli when their wishes are fulfilled. 

There are many such spirits which protect the people of Tulunadu, but Koragajja has owned a special place in the hearts of people. There's no religious boundary when it comes to daivas, especially koragajja. It is sad to tell that, these days people are compressing our historical figure into mythical characters. In this 21st century we think that whatever our ancestors believed is myth. But some miracles in nature just happens and are left unanswered.

Article by : The Witty Human