ome years after these developments, the temple girls move to the market town to live in the Gowra Ashraya Mane and never come back. People in other parts of Karnataka hold widespread protests and get a legal ban on the custom of lower-caste girls running naked as a form of worship during Renuka-Yellamma’s jathre, with thousands of leering men watching. Thimmakka tells the other village women about this. It is over now. Our girls are safe.

Around this time, the village has visitors: a wandering troupe of people who perform tricks, tell fortunes and walk on ropes. Rajegowda’s wedding to his first cousin, the exquisite Honni, daughter of Chenni’s cousin Siddegowda, is taking place. They perform in the village as part of the wedding celebrations: their one and only performance there.

Puttaswamegowda instinctively dislikes the idea of these strange new people mixing with his villagers and probably teaching them additional superstitions that they can do without. He tells the wandering folk that they may set up their tents on the other side of the wall, if they can climb and reach it. They should not come into the village.

The troupe does not mind at all. They want to set up tent, visit the surrounding villages, make some money and move on. They like the area behind the wall. They claim lineage from Deyi Baidethi’s family, the shrubbery parts easily for them, and what difficulty does a banyan-tree root pose to those who walk on ropes? They do not care that no one has ever dared to spend a night beyond that wall. They know magic, they have seen the world and do not fear the things that these upper-caste people do.

Their main god is the gumma and his helpers are the kolli devvas. When the villagers speak with fear that they are haunting the area, the troupe members laugh and say, oh, then this our land and our inheritance. They tell the villagers, our stay here is temporary, just about a year, so even if the spirits wish us ill, we can put up with them for this short time.

Annaiah does not like the fact that they pitch their tents in what he jealously regards as his garden, belonging only to the Kamadeva temple. He climbs the banyan tree and goes to talk to them. They treat him with great respect. The leader of the troupe serves Annaiah his own home-brewed saraayi and gives him more for the goatskin pouch, and points out that they too worship Kamadeva. How does it matter that their troupe calls him gumma? The god is the same. Feeling a kindred spirit in them, Annaiah gives his approval for their stay. He is also happy that he doesn’t have to make the effort of brewing saraayi anymore: the leader has said he will provide him the stuff for as long as he is around.