"பூதம்" -Bootham: Guardian demigods
பாரு பூதம் வரப்போகுது உன்ன சாப்பிட போகுது !! - look Bootham is gonna come and eat you ! Haven't we all heard at least once in hour childhood? Does it ring any bell? especially when we don't eat our food? The mythical creature was used as a means to instill fear so the untouched morsel of food is eaten finally or the misbehavior of the child could be changed. The mythical creature no longer instills fear once we grow up. But did you know such mythical creatures were guardian deities? They could punish you in the ways they deem fit and reward you if they find you are goody two shoes... The mythical creature has a separate cult in ancient tamil nadu and it still caries reminiscence through the sculptures and tales.
After a longtime since my childhood I heard the name during an excavation. While we were digging people were curious weather we found gold. so they often took breaks between herding cattle to peep into the trench and would ask the same question " did you find gold?". Slowly the talk within the trench shifted towards the Mythical creature that guards treasure called Bootham. Manjula amma started to narrate a tale of a Bootham clamorously peaking interest among her peers. The tale began and all the other chatter came to halt. Her voice and just the gushing winds that rustled the leaves were the only sounds that could be heard. Too intrigued everyone was sorting antiquities with sealed lips. " Its true dear the Bootham does exist, it guards the treasures and gives only to the people it thinks are worthy, The treasure can make the whole family wealthy and prosperous. " When I laughed due to all the amusement that swirled in me because of the faith they had in the creature she took it upon her mission to make me and my superior believe in Bootham.
" Don't laugh dear its true, you know a person in our village was struggling so much in his life. He had three kids. Two of them were daughters . He was battling against poverty everyday, struggling everyday to put food on the table. Always running his house with little to no income. The lack of money at times made him think of ending his life for he had no money to do anything let alone marry his daughters off. But today his family is settled for generations, his daughters married in wealthy houses. Its all because a Bootham gave him treasure. One day when he was walking through the woods he heard a calling from a few yards away . It kept calling his name again and again. But there was no one in the woods and was confused for he saw no source of the caller. He just followed the voice and found a small heap. The voice then said 'take this to home! And offer me blood in exchange'. The confused herder dug the place to find a pot full of gold. It again demanded for blood. The herder spilt some blood on the pot and the ground. He then took this to home. the pot is still in their pooja room, I saw it with my own eyes. Today he is no more but his family is prosperous and has become the most wealthiest in the village. The Bootham here called him and offered him gold," she dropped her voice low " if we take without it's permission we will die by vomiting blood or die in a mysterious fashion" She was narrating animatedly when her coworker asked" நிஜமாலுமா ? (is it real)." She went ahead to answer her " do you remember that women who had a mad son and another passed away due to suicide, now all dead was due to this reason. She stumbled upon such a pot one day. The Bootham didn't call for her nor she offered blood. She took the pot to home in turn bringing the Bootham to her own home. It was now cursed. The gold was utilized. However, the whole family perished. At first they seem to prosper but as days went by they fell deep, they became more poor than they ever was. They had to sell their small sweetshop. The Bootham searches lands far and wide, it accumulates treasure /gold in a pot over time. It will choose its owner. It will only give gold to the people it chooses in exchange of their blood. " She finished her story. The sunlight was no longer there ,it became darker . The winds were whooshing and howling. The tale came to a halt but people became eerily quiet. Thoughts ran towards the direction of chancing upon a treasure and the creature. The story of Bootham was interesting and later my superior told that people in Chengalpattu district and Kanchipuram believe that Bootham exists. Maybe that's why they wanted to know whether we took the Bootham's gold.
The creature's story changes along with the change in places. In Tamil the word Bootham means a goblin or a ghost. They mostly are guardian deities of a demigod /demigoddess status. They guard people, places, treasures etc. The Sampapathy Amman temple near the remnants of the Poompuhar ( ancient Tamil city ) mentioned in Silapathigaram has two Bootham a male and female figurine who guard the Amman( female deity). They are here called as Sathukkabootham where sathukam means conjunction of four roads. The deity is supposed to be a guardian of pathway or the entrance of the temple. The Bootham here punishes people who lie, people who try to covet others wives, people who cheat, people who aren't righteous and are treacherous in nature. It is said that the Bootham will either gobble them or tie them down and subject them to flogging. The literature from silapathigaram puhar gandam's lines from 126 to 140 talk about the punishment a Bootham would give for people's misbehavior is as follows:
அவம்மறைந்து ஒழுகும் அலவல் பெண்டிர்
அறைபோகு அமைச்சர் பிறர்மனை நயப்போர்
பொய்க்கரி யாளர் புறங்கூற் றாளர்என்
கைக்கொள் பாசத்துக் கைப்படு வோர்எனக்
காதம் நான்கும் கடுங்குரல் எடுப்பிப்
பூதம் புடைத்துஉணும் பூத சதுக்கமும்,
The lines state how the Bootham would punish different evil doers. I really wish this Bootham here existed cause it protects women from danger too. and slit throats if someone talked ill about a women. Today's world give me the ache for the mythical creature, for I really wish it existed not just in folklores. It can punish corrupt politician, corrupt minds. Whether it offers treasure or it offers protection the demigod or goddess existence is very much needed. The statues and the folklore stay in a way as a representative of justice in the Tamil cultures.
Its eerie........
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