Architectural Element

DESCRIPTION

This is a wooden Bhuta statue from Karnataka, an old and rare collectible figure of a Bhuta lady
painted in bright colours, adorned with decorative traditional attire and jewellery.
Bhuta statues were used to worship supernatural beings or divinised ancestral spirits. It is a
traditional art from the coastal areas of Karnataka and Kerala. Based on ancient folk traditions it
is believed that Bhutas are ethereal spirits or demigods who protect the villagers from evil and
provide them with fertility and livestock. The Bhutas are represented in the form of crude stone,
metal mask, metal idols or carved wooden sculpture. These idols are usually seen in the Tulu
Nadu regions of Karnataka known for their two art forms namely Bhuta kola and the ritual dance of Yakshagana.