Ayyanar idol near Madurai.

Ayyanar (Tamil: ஐயனார் or அய்யனார்) is a regional Tamil male deity who is popular among the rural social groups of South India, specifically Tamil Nadu. In the old tamil literature he is mentioned as Sathanar and in Vedic stories, ayyanar is considered as several local manifestations of Sastha. The deity is also popular among vast majority of South Indian & Srilankan (read Dravidian) Hindus and some Buddhists in Sri Lanka. He along with two female consort deities is central deities surrounded by 21 associate folk deities identified as a Kaval Deivam (guardian angel). Ayyanar temples are found in almost every minority Tamil village in Sri Lanka. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Tamil ( ; IPA ) is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamils in India and Sri Lanka, with smaller communities of speakers in many other countries. ... Languages Tamil Religions Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Jainism Related ethnic groups Dravidian people Brahui people Kannadigas Malayalis Tamils Telugus Tuluvas Gonds The Tamil people are an ethnic group from the Indian subcontinent with a recorded history going back more than two millennia. ... In sociology, a group is usually defined as a collection consisting of a number of people who share certain aspects, interact with one another, accept rights and obligations as members of the group and share a common identity. ... South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Pondicherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... see Sri Lankan Tamils ...

Ancient tradition

In ancient Tamilakam people venerated Veerarkal, the formless stones erected in memory of fallen warriors or any person who sacrificed his life for good cause such as prtoection of welfare of soceity or community. Veerakal that have fully morphed into cultic shrines can be found across South India and especially Tamil Nadu. The ancient Tamil country of the classical era extended from River Krishna to the Cape Comorin(Kanyakumari). ... In religion and sociology, a cult is a relatively small and cohesive group of people (often a new religious movement) devoted to beliefs or practices that the surrounding culture or society considers to be far outside the mainstream. ... Eastern Orthodox shrine Buddhist shrine just outside Wat Phnom. ... South India is a linguistic-cultural region of India that comprises the four Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Pondicherry, whose inhabitants are collectively referred to as South Indians. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ...

This has slowly transformed into Ayyan or Sathan worship system with a symboling horse riding along with the venerate departed soul. Later transformed into Vedic phase, Ayyanar has been depicted with two consorts Poorna and Pushkala. Ayyanar is believed to protect the poor and ensure justice and self-discipline among its belivers. Thus there are several local manifestations of Ayyanar along with two consorts in several villages near thick forests and water reservoirs each having its own folk tale.

The most unique and inspiring popularity of the system is that Ayyanar worship system provides an opportunity to its mass followers to trace their place of origin, ancestral roots, native culture & character and clan lineage even after several generations. Such family clan followers of Ayyanar worship system install new Ayyanar worship centres in sacred groves (called as sastha kavu in kerala and kanyakumari districts and vanams or paimbozhil in Tamilnadu) in new locations with the permission through oracle system from the native Ayyanar deity during Annual mass convention.

Ayyanar worship

Ayyanar or Sathanar worship is very ancient ancestral clan based worship system linked to nature and fertility worship. The festivals of Ayyanars are celebrated in Sacred Groves during Spring season by all the related clan. Ayyanar shrines are usually located at the peripheries or boundaries of rural villages and the deity is seen riding a horse with a sword. Weapons such as a trident or a lance are also associated with the shrine. Most officiating priests are non-Brahmins and derive from local lineages that had initiated the cult centers generations ago. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The term lance (Greek: λόγχη, Latin: lancea, German: Lanze, French: lance, Spanish: lanza, Italian: lancia) has become a catchall for a variety of different pole weapons based on the spear. ... A Brahmin (anglicised from the Sanskrit adjective belonging to Brahma, also known as Brahman belonging to ; Vipra, Dvija twice-born, Dvijottama best of the twice born or earth-god) is considered to be the highest class (varna) in the Indian caste system of Hindu society [1] [2], although this status... The term lineage can refer to several things. ...

The worship pattern is non-agamic and is associated with sacrificial offerings of pure vegetrian food. However animals such as chicken and goats are offered to few of the selected 21 associate deities (Kaval deivangal) such as Karuppasamy, Sudalai samy and some other amman deities located within Ayyanar temple for favors. In return the local priest might offer flowers or Veeputi (holy ash) to the worshippers. Folk Tale Koothu and Folk art Villupattu are enacted to bring out the message Ayyanar folk story to one and all. For the Buddhist texts called the Agamas, see Nikaya. ... Sacrifice is the practice of offering food, or the lives of animals or people to the gods, as an act of propitiation or worship. ...

Ayyanar and Ayyappan

A deity with a similar sounding name and origin, Ayyappan, is very popular among the people of neighboring Kerala. Due to the newly emerging popularity of this deity among Tamils in Tamil Nadu and the diaspora, some Ayyanar shrines have been turned into Ayyappan temples, especially in Canada^{[citation needed]}. The Hindus worship as God Lord Ayyappan, Malayalam അയ്യപ്പന്‍, one of southern India’s most revered deities. ... Kerala ( ; Malayalam: കേരളം; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ...

Ayyanar worship among non-Tamils

Owing to assimilation and syncretism, Sinhalese buddhist people of Sri Lanka also venerate Ayyanar, calling him Ayyanayake. Look up assimilation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Syncretism is the attempt to reconcile disparate, even opposing, beliefs and to meld practices of various schools of thought. ... The Sinhalese are the main ethnic group of Sri Lanka. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by...

External links

• A write-up on Ayyanar worship and the clay idol tradition
• All about Ayyanar alias Ayyappan
• Ayyanar Folk Sculpture
• Divine Guardians scaring away evil spirits
• The Aiyappan Cult : The Meeting Ground of Hindu Militancy, Egalitarianism and Universalism by Lars Kjaerholm