A lady with Kole Basava (an ox) asking for donation in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India where ringing of tiny bells can be heard.

Kole Basava is an ox that is owned by a person/a group of people who would go from house to house to ask for money or food grains in the form of donation. Sometimes the person/people perform small pieces of music and at times they only ask for the donation. The ox generally has tiny pieces of bells. The “Kole Basava” literally means a nodding in the Kannada language ox as at times people ask questions to the ox and the nodding kind of gesture of the ox is considered as an answer to the question. The word “Kole Basava” is also used colloquially as an idiom for someone who nods without understanding.