Dravidian Gods in Modern Hinduism 49 



There are many ceremonies performed for the exorcism of these 

 spirits. The following illustrations of exorcism will show the 

 general ideas concerning demon possession. 



When a person has been sick for a considerable time and other 

 remedies have failed, it is common to call a hhuta-vaidyadu, liter- 

 ally a demon doctor. He comes and examines the patient and 

 gives his decision that it is no ordinary sickness, but demon pos- 

 session. It is necessary for him to know the name of the demon 

 before he can exorcise it, so he requests the people to send for the 

 diviner. The people obey, and prepare an offering of five seers of 

 rice,^ five cocoanuts, five dates, five betel leaves, and some saffron 

 and turmeric. The diviner* is then called. She comes, and after 

 various ceremonies and repeating many mantrams, the possession 

 of some spirit soon seizes her. The bystanders begin to call over 

 the names of different gods to see which one has entered her. 

 When they reach the name of the household god, the diviner in- 

 variably cries out that this is the one. This astonishes the on- 

 lookers, who now are thoroughly convinced that the household 

 god has entered the woman. The next thing is for the household 

 god to tell through the diviner who the demon is that is troubling 

 the sick person. After some delay and many contortions caused 

 by the possession, the diviner will usually name some person of 

 the household who has died, saying that his ghost is making the 

 trouble. This ends the work of the diviner, and telling them to 

 call the hhuta-vaidyadu again, she departs, taking with her the 

 offerings which have been prepared. 



Again the hhuta-vaidyadu comes. He makes a muggu of magic 

 squares and circles, and in these places stars and numbers. He 



distinction between demon and devil see Monier-WilHams, Brahmanism and 

 Hinduism, London, 1891, p. 231. So far as I have been able to discover, 

 demon possession occurs only in the case of Dravidian demons. The 

 Hindu demons do not appear to take possession of people. 



3 A seer is something more than a quart. 



* The diviner is usually an Erukala woman, sometimes pronounced Yeru- 

 kala. Thurston (Castes and Tribes of Southern India, pp. 438 sq.) gives 

 a full description of these people under the name Korava. See also M. 

 Paupa Rao Naidu, The Criminal Tribes of India, No. II, The History of 

 Korawars, Erukulas or Kiakaries, pp. i, 2. They are Dravidians, but be- 

 cause of their nomad disposition have scattered to all parts of India. 



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