One aspect of the bhuta tradition - an ancient pre-Hindu cultural tradition practiced in the Tulu Nadu region in southern coastal Karnataka - includes the worshipping of divine, animal spirits by agrarian communities that were either harmful to the land (the boar) or an asset, such as Maisandaya, which is a deity in the form of a bull. The totemic worship of these animal spirits was intended either as appeasement or celebration.

Maisandaya's four legs represent purity, compassion, truth and generosity. He is linked to Nandi, Shiva's mount, and is believed to be voiceless. This pair of brass Maisandaya figures, also known as nandikona, have been expertly cast with stylised horns and a row of bells around the necks.