Ayyannar - The Guardian God of South India

~ Saturday, August 2, 2008

In the pantheon of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, are the guardian Gods who serve as protectors. They protect villages and are called "grama devatas" or " Kaval deivam " in Tamil. In Tamil Nadu, the guardian god is portrayed as a mustachioed male and is called Ayyannar.

During my recent visit to interior Tamil Nadu, I passed many road side shrines of fierce male deities with idols of horses and elephants placed around. In ancient days, villagers worshipped Veerakal or hero stones which were erected in the memory of fallen soldiers. These later became cult shrines . Ayyannar is often referred to as a vira or a brave one who rides horses, brandishes a trident and fights demons and protects the villagers. His associate is Karuppusamy who rides a tiger .

As you drive down rural Tamil Nadu, you will find their shrines placed at the frontiers of villages and the deity is seen riding a horse. Sometimes, horses and elephants stand close to a tall colourful statue of the deity. The horses and elephants are the vehicles of Ayyannar when he goes on his rounds around the village.

In some villages, the deities are small and are placed below trees or near the open fields.Weapons such as swords, spears, tridents or lances are also placed at the shrine.

The Ayyanar is said to protect the village from the malevolent forest spirits and he punishes the guilty.Most officiating priests are not from the Brahmin caste and are from a local lineage that had initiated the cult generations ago. It is said that they hail from the community of potters .As in a cult practise, animal sacrifices especially chicken and goat are offered to please the Gods.

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Tags

100th post (1) AIFW (2) Adagur (1) Agra (2) Alampara (1) Alamparai (1) Alchi (1) All (178) America (8) Andhra Pradesh (8) Anegudde (1) Anegundi (6) Angadi (3) Arekere (1) Arunachal Pradesh (4) Ashtamudi (6) Asia (15) Asos (16) Assam (1) Austria (1) Award (1) Ayyanar (1) BR Hills (1) Bag (2) Bali (4) Bandipur (8) Bangalore (13) Bangkok (1) Bangkok Pride Festival (1) Bannarghata (1) Basadi (1) Beaches (24) Belur (4) Bhagamandala (2) Bhagavan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary (1) Bheemeshwari (1) Big Buddha (1) Big Sur (1) Birds (6) Brihadeshwara Temple (1) Cerebrate (4) Chail (1) Charminar (1) Chelvarayan Falls (1) Chennakesava Temple (1) Chicago (1) Chidambaram (1) Chikmagalur (4) Chinese lanterns (1) Chinnathappa Temple (1) Chittorgarh (1) Chola Dynasty (5) Chorla Ghats (1) Closet (1) Club Mahindra (5) Cochin (3) Coorg (14) Coromandel Colonies (3) Cuddige (1) DIY (2) Darasuram (2) Dargha (1) Daroji (6) Dassera (1) Day Out (49) Deepavali (3) Destinations 2009 (1) Devbagh Island (2) Dodagaddavalli (1) Doddamakkali (1) Dresses (4) Dudhsagar Falls (1) Dwarasamudra (2) Endhiran (1) FLorida (2) Facebook (1) Fall (6) Family (4) Fireballs (1) Fort St George (1) Freiburg (1) Galibore (1) Ganesha (1) Ganeshkudi (1) GangaiKondaCholapuram (3) Gangtok (4) Giveaway (6) Goa (14) Goa Gajah (1) Gokarna (1) Ground Zero (1) Guest post (3) Halal Food (1) Halebeedu (3) Haleri Dynasty (1) Hampi (18) Hampi. (1) Haranahalli (1) Hassan (5) Hattiangadi (1) Heidelberg (1) Hilal Town (1) Himachal Pradesh (9) Himalayas (7) History (31) Hong Kong (4) Houseboat (1) Hoysala Dynasty (19) Hoysala trail (3) Hua Hin (1) Hua Hin Jazz Festival (1) Hulekere (1) Hulikere (1) Hyderabad (1) Idagunji (1) Iguthappa Temple (1) Images of India (23) India (209) Indian bazaar (1) Indibloggies 2008 (1) Indonesia (4) Inside Story (14) Interlaken (1) Jainism (1) Jammu and Kashmir (3) Javagal (3) Jazz (1) Jungfraujong (2) Jungle Lodges (5) Kaidala (1) Kakatiya trail (4) Kakkabe (2) Karnataka (110) Karwar (5) Kasauli (1) Kaziranga (1) Kerala (28) Kochi (4) Kodaikanal (3) Kollam (2) Konkan coast (3) Kovalam (1) Kowloon (2) Kumarakom (1) Kumbakonam (1) Kumbalangi (3) Kumbalgarh (4) Ladakh (18) Ladakh festival (1) Las Vegas (2) Leh (6) Lepakshi (3) Liberty Island (1) Life (2) Londa (2) Love (7) Loveclothing.com (1) Loy Krathong (1) Loy Krathong 2007 (1) Loy Krathong Festival (1) Madikeri (3) Madurai (5) Mahabalipuram (5) Maharashtra (3) Mahendravarman1 (1) Malenadu. (2) Mammalapuram (3) Mandagapattu (1) Mangalore (5) Mangla Devi temple (3) Mannavannur (2) Maravanthe Beach (1) Marina beach (3) Marle (1) Marrakanam (1) Mashobra (5) Masinagudi (8) Masroor (1) Mattanchery (1) Melkote (1) Mercara (1) Miami (1) Monday moments (3) Moodabidri (1) Mountains.Mining (1) Mt Kangchendzonga (1) Mt.Pilatus (1) Mudhumalai (4) Mumbai (2) Munich (1) Munnar (2) Murano (1) Murudeshwar temple (2) Music (1) My World (3) My-Wardrobe.com (1) Mysore (3) Naga (1) Naga Fireballs (1) Nalknad Palace (1) Nameri National Park (1) Nandi hills (1) Nathulla Pass (2) Navaratri (1) New York (7) New York City (2) Night Out (21) Nilgiris (1) Nokia N8 mystery tour (3) Nong Khai (1) North East India (2) Nuggehalli (2) Om Beach (1) Omkareshwar Temple (1) Ooty (1) Outfit (138) Palampet (2) Pallava cave temples (1) Pallava caves (1) Palolem Beach (2) Panagalammai temple (1) Pangong tso (1) Patteeswaram (2) Periyar (1) Pfeiffer Beach (1) Pondicherry (3) Ponmudi (1) Poovar (1) Quilon (2) Rajas Seat (2) Rajasthan (6) Rajinikanth (1) Ramappa Lake (1) Ramappa temple (1) Ranganathittu (2) Readers Art (1) Rhinevalley (1) River Bhadra (4) River Bheema (1) River Cauvery (7) River Kabini (5) River Kali (3) River Rhine (1) River Teesta (2) River Tunga (2) River Tungabhadra (1) River Zuari (3) STB (1) Salzburg (1) Secunderabad (1) Seeyamangalam (1) September 11 (1) Shettihalli (1) Shey (1) Shimla (6) Shimoga (1) Shivappa Naik palace (1) Shoes (6) Shopping (22) Sikkim (7) Sindhudurg (4) Singapore (8) Singapore Youth Olympic Games (1) Sira (1) Sira lake (1) Skywatch (38) Somnathpur (1) South Thailand (1) Spice village (1) Spring (20) Sringeri (4) St Paul's chapel (1) Stanley market (1) Style Sofia (2) Summer (10) Sunday Stories (2) Sunday snapshot (2) Svaastha (2) Taj Mahal (2) Talacauvery (1) Tanah Lot (1) Taragambadi (4) Tarkali Beach (2) Tawang (3) Thailand (3) Thalavanur (1) Thanjavur (4) Thank You (12) Thattekadu (4) Thiksey (1) Thirty Four (3) Thirukadaiyur (1) Thousand Pillar Basadi (1) Tipu Sultan (1) Tithimathi (1) Topshop (9) Toronto (4) Tranquebar (4) Travelwise (2) Trivandrum (2) Tso Kar (1) Tulu Nadu (1) US (11) Udaipur (1) Vacation (5) Vatican (2) VeeraNarayana Temple (1) Venice (2) Vidyashankara Temple (1) Vijaynagar Dynasty (3) Virajpet (1) Warangal (5) Washington DC (1) Weekend (35) Winter (9) Wonders of the World (1) Zara (5) Zurich (1) aachen (1) abbey (15) agriculture (3) aigues-mortes (2) airport (1) aix (1) albi (2) algeciras (1) alps (3) alsace (1) altamura (1) amalfi (1) amalfi coast (1) amsterdam (6) anagni (2) angers (1) angling (1) anzy-le-duc (1) ardeche (1) arles (1) articles (13) assisi (2) athirampally falls (1) augsburg (1) aulnay (1) autun (2) auvergne (1) avallon (1) avebury (1) awards (2) ayurveda (2) backwaters (3) bamberg (1) bampton (1) basel (1) bath (2) battle (1) bavaria (1) beach (10) beachy head (1) belavadi (1) belgium (4) bergamo (1) berlin (3) bern (5) berze-la-ville (1) besselsleigh (1) beverley (1) bibury (1) birding (16) birthday (9) bitonto (1) black bourton (1) black forest (2) black necked crane (1) blogging (1) boat (1) bolonia (1) bonfire night (1) bonn (5) bourges (1) brighton (3) brugge (3) brussels (2) buddhist temple (1) burford (2) burgundy (9) byzantine (2) c.s. lewis (2) california (4) camargue (1) cambridge (2) camera critters (2) canterbury (4) capri (1) car (2) car rental (2) carnival of cities (1) carrara (1) casablanca (1) cassington (1) castle (10) cathedral (55) catholic (7) celebrations (1) celebrities (3) cerne abbas (1) chalgrove (1) chamonix (2) chapaize (1) charlieu (1) chartres (2) chateau (2) chauvigny (1) chennai (27) chianti (1) chichester (1) chinatown (1) chipping norton (1) christ church (1) christmas (3) christmas market (4) chur (1) church (68) churches (5) cinque terre (1) cirencester (1) clermont-ferrand (2) cluny (1) coffee (1) colmar (1) cologne (4) como (2) conques (1) cordoba (3) cornwall (2) cotswalds (2) cotswolds (1) cottage (1) cows (1) cuddesdon (1) culture (1) cunault (1) david (3) deerhurst (1) delft (2) devils tower (1) dorchester (1) dover (1) driving (5) durham (3) easter (1) edinburgh (1) egypt (1) einsiedeln (2) eisenach (1) elephants (1) elgin (1) ely (1) england (75) erfurt (2) europe (12) europe 2010 (1) ewelme (1) exeter (1) ferry (1) festival (8) festivals (4) fishing (1) flight (2) florence (1) flowers (1) fontevraud (1) food (66) forts (1) fossanova (1) france (40) freiburg im breisgau (1) fribourg (1) gay (1) geneva (1) german (4) germany (36) ghent (1) gibraltar (2) glacier (1) glastonbury (2) gloucester (2) gloucestershire (2) gothic (4) gourdon (1) graduation (1) grave (1) great haseley (2) great malvern (1) great milton (7) green vine snake (1) greenwich (1) hailes (1) heathrow (1) henley-on-thames (1) herefordshire (1) heritage (9) highlands (1) hildesheim (3) holiday (2) homestay (6) hotel (30) idaho (1) iguerande (1) in the news (1) inverness (1) ireland (1) island (1) italica (1) italy (32) itinerary (7) jewish (3) kalyani (1) kandya temple (1) kiangs (1) kilpeck (1) lake como (1) lakes (1) language (2) lausanne (1) lauterbrunnen (1) le puy (1) leiden (4) levanto (1) limburg (1) lincoln (2) lindisfarne (1) little milton (2) loire valley (1) london (16) loreto (1) lucera (1) lucerne (2) luther (6) maastricht (1) macon (3) madras (25) madras day (1) madrid (3) mahendravarman (1) mahseer (1) mainz (2) map (7) maria laach (1) markets (2) milan (1) millery (2) minnesota (1) minster lovell (1) mission (1) missoula (1) modern architecture (1) moissac (2) monaco (1) monasteries (1) monastery (3) montana (2) monte sant'angelo (1) montmajour (1) morocco (3) mosaics (2) mosque (2) mountains (2) movies (1) moving (4) muenster (1) muerren (2) mural (3) murals (4) museum (17) mythology (6) national geographic (1) native american site (1) nature (1) netherlands (13) neuschwanstein (1) news (1) nice (4) north leigh (1) norwich (1) oban (1) oddington (1) orange (2) oregon (3) orkney (1) oxford (20) paestum (2) pagan (1) paray-le-monial (1) paris (7) penzance (1) people (28) perrecy-les-forges (1) pershore (1) pesaro (1) peterborough (1) petroglyphs (1) photography (1) pisa (1) plantation tourism (1) poitiers (2) prehistoric (4) preshistoric (1) pride festival (1) provence (5) pub (3) puglia (3) pyrenees (1) random (2) ravenna (2) reformation (4) regensburg (1) relics (1) renaissance (1) restaurant (1) rivers (9) rock art (1) rollright (1) roman (9) romanesque (32) romantic rhine (1) rome (7) ruins (3) ruvo (1) saint-remy (1) saint-savin (1) saintes (1) san francisco (3) san galgano (1) san gimignano (2) san giovanni rotondo (1) sandai (1) sant'antimo (1) saulieu (1) saxon (1) schilthorn (1) scotland (5) sea gull (1) segovia (1) semur-en-auxois (2) semur-en-brionnais (1) seville (5) sherborne (1) shops (1) shrewsbury (1) siena (1) silk reeling (1) skye (1) sloth bears (2) snow (2) sorrento (1) south leigh (1) spain (14) spiez (1) spiritual (18) spokane (1) spoleto (1) st andrews (1) st michael's mount (1) st moritz (1) st. ives (1) standing stones (3) stonehenge (2) stratford-upon-avon (1) subiaco (1) sunflowers (1) sunset (3) sussex (1) switzerland (15) synagogue (3) talakadu (1) tamil Nadu (53) tarifa (1) technical difficulties (1) temple (3) temples (26) tewkesbury (1) thame (1) thun (1) toledo (2) tolkien (1) toot baldon (1) toulouse (1) tour of the west (4) tournus (2) train (15) trani (1) travel (41) tree house (1) trier (1) troia (1) tuscany (6) twitter (1) uffington (1) updates (2) usa (19) vaison-la-romaine (1) vezelay (1) video (2) villages (14) walking (1) wartburg castle (1) washington (1) weekend getaway (16) wells (1) west wycombe (1) weymouth (1) what's new (5) whitby (1) wild life (11) wildlife (12) wilmington (1) winchester (1) windsor (1) wittenberg (2) woodstock (1) worcester (1) world heritage (1) worlitz (1) worms (1) wyoming (1) yellow throated bulbul (1) zodiacs (1) zuerich (2)