Aiyanar

Hindu folk deity

Ayyanar (IAST: Aiyaṉār, ) is a Dravidian folk religion deity venerated in South India and Sri Lanka. His worship is prevalent amongst the rural Tamil people. 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 Village deities of 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.

The Tamil word Ayyanār is derived from the root word Ayya, a honorific used in a Tamil language to designate respected one. Some people propose that Aryan could be the Sanskrit version of Tamil word Aiyyan which means the same. Another name of Ayyanar, Sastha, Though Śāstā is the term especially used to indicate Ayyanar nowadays, there are two other deities known in the same name. Buddha is also called Sastha and Brahma Śāstā is another name for Murugan. Sastha is a generic Sanskrit term for a teacher.

There are very few pieces of evidence to reconstruct the origin and development of Ayyanar. Some researchers assume Chattan could have entered the Tamil country with Buddhism. The earliest references to Ayyanar were discovered in the hero stones of hunting chieftains from Arcot, Tamil Nadu dated back to the 3rd century C. E. The phrase in the inscriptions which could be translated into "Ayyanappan; a shrine to Cattan" confirms that Ayyan and Chattan were the names of a single deity. A rock carving of a man and horse in the Isurumuniya Buddhist temple of Sri Lanka, is identified with Ayyanar. Sinhala Buddhists of Sri Lanka praise him in the form of a folk deity called Ayyanayake to the date.

Sastha started to appear in Sanskrit sources from the 7th century CE after Brahmanda Purana. It narrates the history of Hariharasuta, son of Hari and Hara, who was born to Shiva during his copulation with Mohini, the feminised form of Vishnu, after the churning of the milk sea. Tamil Sangam literature often mention poets and traders with the name Chattan, who might have revered Sastha as their clan deity. Tamil epic Silappatikaram, probably dated to the 4th century CE, records the temples and devotees of Cattan. Periya Puranam, a Tamil Saivite epic of the 12th century CE tells that Aiyanar at Tiruppidavur revealed the Tamil song of Cheraman Perumal, a Nayanar cum Chera king (800—844 CE) which was composed at Madhya Kailash. From the Chola period (9th century) onwards the popularity of Aiyanar became even more pronounced and so many bronze images of him are available from this period.

The famous iconography of Aiyan shows him alone, carrying a Chentu (செண்டு, crooked stick) in his right hand. Sometimes a whip, stick, sword or scepter can be seen in his hand. While he manifests in a squat position, A meditation band known as Yogapaţţam or Vāgupaţţai will present around his knees and waist. Pingalantai Nighantu, Kanda Puranam and Chola bronzes describe his mount as a white elephant. The horse is another mount abundantly seen in his local temples. Some texts have mentioned the blue horse and bull as his mount as well. According to Cūṭāmaṇi Nighaṇṭu, Sastha wears black garments and reddish garlands. His body is smeared with yellow paste and he carries a sword in his hand. In Kārana Agama, he sits on a throne with his right leg folded while his left leg is hanging down. He is usually depicted having blue or black complexion. Although his two armed form is common, some texts describe his forms with four or eight arms. Amsumadbheda Agama describes his four arms carrying Abhaya, Varada, sword and shield. In Ishana Siva Guru Paddhati, he is visualized as carrying an arrow, bow, knife and sword. Neither Ayyappa nor Sabarimala is known as a pilgrim spot in the Tamil region before the 1940s. According to researchers Eliza Kent, Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwai, the legends in the Ayyappa tradition seem to be "artificially mixed and assembled into a kind of collage" and "he should have emerged from a Dravidian god of tribal provenance". It has been claimed that the above mentioned Dravidian tribal god is none other than Ayyanar. Sabarimala Sthala Puranam, a recent purana, says that Ayyappan is the avatar of Ayyanar; the name Ayyappan has been described as a combination of Ayyan (Ayyanar) + Appan (father). Yogapatta bar around the knees of Ayyappan is the distinct character that can be seen in the Ayyanar statues of the Chola period. The horse mount of Aiyanar is still visible in the flag staff of Sabarimala Ayyappan temple. The synonym Sastha of Ayyappan is obviously the same as that of Ayyanar. Another important association is the presence of Karuppa samy in the worship of both deities. Legend suggests that the image of Sabarimala Ayyappan was consecrated by Parashurama. However the Sanskrit inscription in the image says that it was installed in Kollam Era 1085 (1910 CE) by Prabhakaracharya.

Many temples are dedicated to Ayyanar can be seen all over South India as well as Sri Lanka. Almost all villages of Tamil Nadu would have an Aiyanar kovil. Ayyanar shrines are usually located at the peripheries or boundaries of rural villages and the deity is seen riding a horse with a sword or whip. Ayyanar has both types of temples temples constructed in Agamic style and non Agamic open air shrines. Ayyanar in Agamic temple is usually called Sastha or Dharma sastha. Kerala retains its Ayyanar temples as Sastha temples. The attendant priest for Aiyanar is generally from the potter caste who fashions idols and clay horses, although it is not uncommon for priests from other castes to officiate in the Ayyanar temples. Many castes of Tamil Nadu worship Ayyanar as their Kula deivam.