Karaikal Ammaiyar (born Punītavatī), meaning ''"The Revered Mother of

Karaikal Karaikal (, , Help:IPA/French, /kaʁikal/) is a port city of the Indian States and territories of India, Union Territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is the administrative headquarters of the Karaikal district, Karaikal Di ...

"'', is one of the three women amongst the 63 Nayanmars and one of the greatest figures of early

Tamil literature Tamil literature includes a collection of literary works that have come from a tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution. Contributors to the T ...

. She was born in

, South India, and probably lived during the 5th century CE. She was a devotee of

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

Early life

was a maritime trading city in Chola Nadu. Ammaiyar, whose original name was Punitavati, was born to Dhanadattan in a merchant community known as

Chettiar Chettiar (also spelt as Chetti and Chetty) is a title used by many traders, weaving, agricultural and land-owning castes in South India, especially in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Etymology Chettiar/Chetty is deri ...

, popular tradition linking it with the Nattukottai Nagarathar community (also known as Nattukottai Chettiar). She was married to Paramadattan, a wealthy merchant from Nagapattinam. Mangani festival in Karaikal is an annual event celebrated in honor of Karaikal Ammaiyar Works She was the first known one whom used the Andādi concept of literature, ( Arpudath Tiruvandaathi). She also wrote Tiruvaalangaadu Tiruppadhigam and Tiruvirattai Manimaalai which symbolises the devotion towards lord Shiva, she was considered as the foremost among Bhakti saints to contribute to the devotional literature and its growth.

Ammaiyar Image in Cambodia

Banteay Srei or Banteay Srey ( ) is a 10th-century

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

n temple dedicated to the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

god

. Located in the area of

Angkor Angkor ( , 'capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura (; ),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Languages. The Catholic Uni ...

, it lies near the hill of

Phnom Dei Phnom Dei ( ) is a 272 m high hill close to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Location Phnom Dei is located to the southeast of the Banteay Srei, one of the major Angkorian temples, and south of Phnom Kulen. It is part of the temple complex in Angkor, th ...

, north-east of the main group of temples that once belonged to the medieval capitals of Yasodharapura and Angkor Thom.Higham, ''The Civilization of Angkor'', p.79.

The second enclosure

The inner enclosure wall has collapsed, leaving a gopura at the eastern end and a brick shrine at the western. The eastern pediment of the gopura shows Śiva Nataraja; the west-facing pediment has an image of Karaikal Ammaiyar, one of the three women saints amongst the sixty three Nayanmars (hounds of Śiva).

Notes

References

* Dallapiccola, Anna. '' Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend'' () * Karavelane (in French). ''Kareikkalammeiyar, œuvres éditées et traduites'', Institut français d'indologie, Pondicherry (1956) * Jagadeesan, N. ''The Life and Mission of Karaikkal Ammaiyar'' Bhattacharya, N.N. d''Medieval Bhakti Movements in India'' Munishiram Manoharlal, New Delhi (1989), pages 149–161 *Rajarajan, R.K.K. (2018) Recollection of Memories: Hymns of Kāraikkālammaiyār - South Indian Śaiva Iconography. In Sudipa Ray Bandyopadhyay and Swati Mondal Adhikari, eds. ''Śaiva Iconography: A Facet of Indian Art and Culture''. Kolkata: Sagnik Books, pp. 73–92 & 141-147 (Pl.VII.1-13). . * Schouten, Jan Peter (in Dutch). ''Goddelijke vergezichten – mystiek uit India voor westerse lezers'', Ten Have b.v., Baarn, the Netherlands (1996), * de Bruijn, Peter. ''Kāraikkālammaiyār: Part 1: An iconographical and textual study; Part 2: Poems for Siva'' () 2007. 147 pp. colour, B/W plates. * Craddock, Elaine ''Śiva's Demon Devotee: Kāraikkāl Ammaiyār'', SUNY Press, Albany (2010), * McGlashan, Alastair The History of The Holy Servants of the Lord Siva, page 161 Trafford (2006), *

External links

Karaikal Ammaiyar

article in Dutch on Karaikkalammaiyar myth theme diffusion in the arts of

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and