Bauti

Bauti is the name of a goddess in Odisha's village traditions, where Gramadevatas, or village deities, are worshipped as protectors of a settlement. Such deities are understood to guard the inhabitants from epidemics, bandits and natural disasters when propitiated. Worship is usually simple and local, at a small shrine, tree or stone, with offerings arranged by the villagers themselves. Specific details of Bauti, including shrine, festival and iconography, vary by village and could not be confirmed from published sources.

Published sources on Bauti as a named goddess are scarce, so this entry describes only the tradition she belongs to. The Gramadevata cult is among the oldest layers of Indian religion. A Gramadevata is a tutelary deity of a locality, regarded as protecting the inhabitants of a village from bandits...