© 2023 Dr. M. Sheppard

Special Tovils Baby Tovil Fishermen's Tovil Bali Tovil Family Tovil Sesanthi Pujah

Outside Exorcism

The main Tovil dancer then went to work outside the house. He placed lighted torches onto  the offering baskets. Next he threw fire around the house to drive away the ghosts and demons etc. who had been troubling the family.

Then he entered the room  where the offering basket with the black cloth was placed and organised for it to be  carried out of  the room and the house by helpers.

He  then threw fire around  the room and house to further cleanse the area of the ghosts and demons.

When  the offering basket with the black cloth was carried back to the main room, the main tovil dancer returned to his seat in front of the family who were sitting on the mat. The Tovil dancer blew on his  pipe to summon the ghosts and demons.

The family then made a water offering into the offering basket- they each added water to the offering basket.

Each member of the family made this water offering into the ghosts’ offering basket. This was done by each adding water to the offering basket.The Tovil dancer then threw fire around the rest of the house to banish the ghosts and demons.

The ghosts’ offering basket was then carried out of the house.Then with the other offering baskets already outside the house, they were all carried out and away from the yard.

The Tovil dancer then threw fire around the outside of the house and around the yard. This was to cleanse the whole area of the troublesome ghosts and demons.

All the offering baskets  were then carried along the road well away from the house where they were laid at the roadside.  Only men did this. These offering baskets were laid at the side of the road so that the ghosts and devils that had been drawn to the baskets to receive their offerings would be left there well away from the family’s house and thus  the demons and ghosts would cease troubling the family.

The tovil dancer  then flicked medicated water from the  clay pot he had brought with him, over the baskets. This was to keep the roadside area safe. He then followed last behind the returning men flicking the medicated water all the way along the route back to the house. This was to ensure the demons and ghosts did not return to the house with those returning e.g. on their footprints or in the dust stuck to their feet.

Whilst the main Tovil dancer was attending to the outside ceremonial duties, the Assistant was working with the family seated on the mat inside. He was reciting the special mantra for this ceremony and the songs that described this part of the ceremony - how it had cured people in the past who had been troubled in the same way etc.

All  the outside offerings and structures were copiously “smoked” with dummala to draw the demons and ghosts into them.

In the meantime the main Tovil Dancer  was supervising the lighting of the torches and organisation of the small offering baskets outside.

He then returned to the room where the Offering Basket to the ghosts had been placed and organised for it to be carried out to where the family were seated on the mat. Men from the audience did this.He threw fire around the room to finally banish the troublesome ghosts and demons from the room.