Bhoota (ghost)

The provided source does not supply a specific mythic origin story for individual Būtas or a unified cosmogony. Instead, it situates Būtas/Daivas as local deities integral to the religious life of the Tulu-speaking population: beings venerated through the ritual-performance tradition called Būta Kōlā (also rendered Bhūta Kolam, Daiva Kōlā, Daiva Nēmā). The practice is presented as part of 'Bhootaradhane' or 'Daivaaradhane'—worship of local deities—indicating that these entities are embedded in an indigenous, community-centered religious order. The source furthermore places Būta Kōlā in a regional constellation of related performative-devotional forms, noting that Theyyam in North Malabar is an evolved form of Būta Kōla and that Būta Kōlā has influenced Yakshagana folk theatre.

The source emphasizes that Būta Kōlā is a highly stylised ritual-dance performance through which the local deities are venerated and enacted; it does not provide detailed descriptions of the spirits' inherent physical forms. From the material given, the primary visible manifestation of Būtas in the cultural context is the embodied performance by specialists—elaborate, stylised dance and theatrical enactment—rather than an independent iconographic description. The article notes the performative, theatrical character of the tradition and its relations to Theyyam and Yakshagana but does not list specific costumes, masks, or visual attributes in the cited text.

Reported powers and behaviours across sources include shape-shifting into various animal or human forms, luring and accompanying living people (often at night or on roads) and avoiding direct contact with the earth (manifested as floating). Narratives commonly describe bhootas seeking out milk and immersing themselves in it; consumption of bhoota-contaminated milk is presented as a typical route to possession. In stories a churel may seduce or obsess men and cause illness or death; more generally bhootas are associated with possession, sickness, obsession, or other harmful outcomes in folklore. In contrast, when ritually propitiated (for example in Tulu Nadu) the spirit-power of bhootas may be mediated through performance and become protective.