Worshipping a village God is an ancient
practice that began with animism and continued with Hinduism.
Gradually elaborate rituals grew around these beliefs, as did the power of
magic, sacrifice, sorcery, and divination of omens. Sorcery
is classified into noble and evil.
Village India has a
very permeable boundary between human and divine; gods, and spirits are thought of as interacting very freely with humans.
Villagers hold the sorcerers in awe and esteem.
Theyyam deities were propitiated by human sacrifice in ancient times, however cocks have now replaced humans
on the sacrificial altar.
