Monday 4 November 2013

"Bhuta Khola" statues, Museu do Oriente, Lisbon - The 2nd of November 2013


As I was walking out of the floor where the Shadow Theatre exhibition was being held I couldn't help but be drawn by the expressions of some statues said to be commonly found adorning the sanctuaries of the Southern Indian State of Karnataka during the annually held "Bhuta Khola" festival for communicating with the spirits. Ritual dances are said to take place in which  through the dancing medium, a "bhuta" (spirit) is evoked. The dancer medium is then said to become possessed by the "bhuta" evoked, that in turn seizes his conciousness.

I have been willing to travel to the Southern regions of India and these statues added to my already "infatuated" curiosity. There was something in their expressions, particularly around the eyes that had me wondering about the atmosphere of that "consciousness seizing" through the act of dancing, which I'll have to further investigate.

























1 comment:

  1. Iolanda, boa noite
    Desculpe utilizar este meio para a contactar, mas sou a madrinha do Edson Edu, de Cabo Verde. Soube hoje que está prestes a partir. Gostaria de saber até quando lhe poderei fazer chegar as lembranças para o pequeno. O meu email é olgafilipe@gmail.com. Aguardo o seu comentário. Olga Filipe

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