ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the popular local cults in the Tulu-speaking region of coastal Karnataka, South India. The seemingly uncontrolled display as well as the control of emotions appear to be equally valued and are accommodated in the same set of rituals. The chapter focuses on one particular group of deities, referred to as princely deities and worshipped by members of the dominant Tulu caste of Bant-agriculturalists and their former service castes. The significance of catching Bante when he tries to escape from the ritual place is stressed by many participants. Madness, raving and frenzy are explicitly part of the very nature of another pair involving Bante. Feelings of sadness and gratefulness, finally, are evoked when the deities take leave of their devotees at the end of the rituals blessing them one more time and then leaving the bodies of their media.
