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Sudalai
Sudalai Madan (IAST: ) is a rural Dravidian folk tradition deity worshipped predominantly in South India, particularly in the districts of Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Kanyakumari, and Thiruvananthapuram. He is considered by adherents to be a son of Shiva and Parvati. He seems to have originated in some ancestral guardian spirit of the villages or communities in Tamil Nadu, in a similar manner as Ayyanar. He is regarded as a kaval deivam (guardian deity) who protects people against evil forces. Sudalai Madan is also called Madan thampuran, Chudala madan, or simply as Madan. The deity Shiva is said to have created him and given him the name Sudalai Madan as the protector against evil forces, emanating from cemeteries and cremation grounds (''sudalai''). He is usually found with mother goddess Pechiamman, Brahmasakthi Amman, and Sudalai Mundan. Madathi is his consort. Sudalai is the guardian of the ''kodimaram'' (flagstaff) in several temples. Legend The tale of Suda ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Villu Paatu
''Villu Paatu'' (English: Bow Song, Tamil: வில்லுப்பாட்டு), also known as Villadichampaatu, is an ancient form of musical story-telling method performed in Southern India , where narration is interspersed with music, an art of southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, as well as North-East Sri Lanka. This art form is popular among Nadar and Ezhava castes of erstwhile Travancore kingdom. Simple tunes and verses make the story easy to follow. The ''villu'' (bow), the age-old weapon of warriors - paradoxically lends itself to be used as a primary musical instrument (a musical bow) for the ''Villu Paatu'' artists. Overview In Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ... villages, performers narrate stories ranging from mythological to social. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dravidian Folk Religion
The early Dravidian religion constituted a non-Vedic form of Hinduism in that they were either historically or are at present Āgamic. The Agamas are non-Vedic in origin,Mudumby Narasimhachary (ed.) (1976). "Āgamaprāmāṇya of Yāmunācārya". ''Gaekwad's Oriental Series'' 160. Oriental Institute, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. and have been dated either as post-Vedic texts,Tripath, S. M. (2001)''Psycho-Religious Studies Of Man, Mind And Nature'' Global Vision. . or as pre-Vedic compositions.Nagalingam, Pathmarajah (2009) Siddhanta Publications. The ''Agamas'' are a collection of Tamil and Sanskrit scriptures chiefly constituting the methods of temple construction and creation of ''murti'', worship means of deities, philosophical doctrines, meditative practices, attainment of sixfold desires and four kinds of yoga.Grimes, John A. (1996)''A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English'' State University of New York Press. . . The worship ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vinayaka
Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu denominations worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists and includes Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia (Java and Bali), Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Bangladesh and in countries with large ethnic Indian populations including Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, and Trinidad and Tobago. Although Ganesha has many attributes, he is readily identified by his elephant head. He is widely revered, more specifically, as the remover of obstacles and thought to bring good luck; the patron of arts and sciences; and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as a patron of letters an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tenkasi District
Tenkasi is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu, India, separated from Tirunelveli district on 22 November 2019. The Government of Tamil Nadu announced its creation on 18 July 2019. The district headquarters is at Tenkasi. Geography The district shares borders with Tirunelveli district in the south, Virudhunagar district in the north, Thoothukudi district in the east and Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts of Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ... in the west. The western part of the district runs along the Western Ghats, while the east is mainly flat plains. Tenkasi was formed from 6 talukas: Sivagiri, Sankarankovil, Veerakeralamputhur, Alangulam, Tenkasi and Shenkottai. Two more taluks were created afterwards: Kadayanallur and Thiruvengadam. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sari
A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std=ISO * hi, साड़ी, sāṛī, translit-std=ISO * kn, ಸೀರೆ, sīre, translit-std=ISO * knn, साडी, कापड, चीरे, sāḍī, kāpaḍ, cīrē, translit-std=ISO * ml, സാരി, sāri, translit-std=ISO * mr, साडी, sāḍī, translit-std=ISO * ne, सारी, sārī, translit-std=ISO * or, ଶାଢ଼ୀ, śāṛhī, translit-std=ISO * pa, ਸਾਰੀ, sārī, translit-std=ISO * ta, புடவை, puṭavai, translit-std=ISO * te, చీర, cīra, translit-std=ISO * ur, ساڑى, sāṛī, translit-std=ISO is a women's garment from the Indian subcontinent, that consists of an un-stitched stretch of woven fabric arranged over the body as a robe, with one end tied to the waist, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It has an altitude of . It lies in the Kailash Range (Gangdisê Mountains) of the Transhimalaya, in the western part of the Tibetan Plateau. Mount Kailash is less than 100 km towards the north from the western trijunction of the borders of China, India, and Nepal. Mount Kailash is located close to Lake Manasarovar and Lake Rakshastal. The sources of four major Asian rivers lie close to this mountain and the two lakes. These rivers are the Indus, the Sutlej, the Brahmaputra, and the Karnali (a tributary of the Ganges). Mount Kailash is considered sacred in four religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bon. Etymology The mountain is known as “'” (; var. ' ) in Sanskrit. The name also could have been derived from the word “'” (), which mea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tapas (Indian Religions)
Tapas (Sanskrit: तपस्) is a variety of austere spiritual meditation practices in Indian religions. In Jainism, it means asceticism (austerities, body mortification); in Buddhism, it denotes spiritual practices including meditation and self-discipline; and in the different traditions within Hinduism it means a spectrum of practices ranging from asceticism, inner cleansing to self-discipline by meditation practices. The ''Tapas'' practice often involves solitude, and is a part of monastic practices that are believed to be a means to moksha (liberation, salvation). In the Vedas literature of Hinduism, fusion words based on ''tapas'' are widely used to expound several spiritual concepts that develop through heat or inner energy, such as meditation, any process to reach special observations and insights, the spiritual ecstasy of a yogin or ''Tāpasa'' (a vṛddhi derivative meaning "a practitioner of austerities, an ascetic"), even warmth of sexual intimacy.Kaelber, W. O. (19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Periyachi
Periyachi (Tamil: பெரியாச்சி, IAST: ) is a ferocious aspect of Parvati in Hinduism. She is also known as Periyachi Amman (''Amman'' meaning "mother") and sometimes called as Periyachi Kali Amman as she is associated with the goddess Kali. According to some accounts, the deity is a malevolent aspect of a mother goddess, who is prayed to in order to prevent misfortune during childbirth. Periyachi is said to be the protector of children, and is associated with childbirth and pregnancy, and is a deity revered in Singapore and Malaysia. Legend There was once a Pandya king named Vallalarajan Raja who evilly tormented his subjects. It was said that if his child touched the earth then this act would bring an end to the king. When the queen went into labour, the king could not find a mid-wife. He had to choose a woman named Periyachi. This stern woman successfully completed the delivery of the child and held it up so that it did not touch the earth. The king wanted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shmashana
Shmashana outside Indian village A ''śmaśāna'' (Devanagari: श्मशान) is a Hindu crematory ground, where dead bodies are brought to be burnt on a pyre. It is usually located near a river or body of water on the outskirts of a village or town; as they are usually located near river ghats they are also called ''smashan ghat''. The word has its origin from Sanskrit language: ''shma'' refers to ''shava'' ("corpse"), while ''shana'' refers to ''shanya'' ("bed"). The other Indian religions like Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism also use ''śmaśāna'' for the last rites of the dead. Hinduism As per Hindu rites of Nepal and India, the dead body is brought to śmaśāna for ''Antim Sanskar'' (last rites). At the cremation ground, the chief mourner has to obtain the sacred fire from the Dom caste, who reside by the śmaśāna and light funeral pyres (''chita'') for a fee. Various Hindu scriptures also give details of how to select the site of śmaśāna: it should be on t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Village Deities Of South India
The village deities of Southern India are the numerous spirits and other beings venerated as part of the Dravidian folk tradition in villages throughout South India. These deities, mainly goddesses, are intimately associated with the well-being of the village, and can have either benevolent or violent tendencies. These deities are presently in various stages of syncretism or assimilation with mainstream Hindu traditions. These deities have been linked back to common Indus Valley civilisation imagery, and are hypothesised to represent the prevailing Dravidian folk religion at the time. The worship of these deities at many times do not conform to the common tenets of Vedic traditions, especially in customs of animal sacrifice, the inclusion of the priesthood class, and iconography. Origins and history In general, scholars see the village deities of South India as continuations of religious traditions followed in the subcontinent before the arrival of the Indo-Aryans. In th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aiyanar
Ayyanar ( IAST: Aiyaṉār, ta, ஐயனார்) is a Hindu deity venerated in South India and Sri Lanka. His worship is prevalent among the Dravidian peoples. Some studies suggest that Ayyanar may have also been worshipped in Southeast Asian countries in the past. He is primarily worshipped as one of the guardian folk deities of Tamil Nadu. The temples of Ayyanar in the countryside are usually flanked by gigantic and colourful statues of him and his companions riding horses or elephants. Etymology The Tamil word ''Ayyanār'' is derived from the root word ''Ayya'', a honorific used in a Tamil language to designate respected one.Indrapala, K., ''The evolution of an ethnic identity: The Tamils in Sri Lanka C. 300 BCE to C. 1200 CE'', p.# Some people propose that ''Aryan'' could be the Sanskrit version of Tamil word ''Aiyyan'' which means the same. There is a well known temple dedicated to Sastha situated in a village of Kerala, called " Aryankavu". Another name of Ayya ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language—one of the longest surviving classical languages in the world—is widely spoken in the state and serves as its official language. The state lies in the southernmost part of the Indian peninsula, and is bordered by the Indian union territory of Puducherry and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, as well as an international maritime border with Sri Lanka. It is bounded by the Western Ghats in the west, the Eastern Ghats in the north, the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait to the south-east, and the Indian Ocean in the south. The at-large Tamilakam region that has been inhabited by Tamils was under several regimes, such as the Sangam era rulers of the Chera, Chola, and Pandya c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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