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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 the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tirumala
Tirumala is a spiritual town in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the suburbs of the Tirupati, Tirupati urban agglomeration. The town is a part of Tirupati Urban Development Authority and located in Tirupati (rural) mandal of Tirupati revenue division. It is a hill town where Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is located, which is the abode of Venkateswara, Vishnu. The town is strictly vegetarian. Geography Tirumala is located above sea level and covers an area of approximately . Surrounding the hills are seven peaks of Seshachalam range, Eastern Ghats namely Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The temple of Sri Venkateswara is on the seventh peak (Venkata (hill), Venkatadri). At the point on the Tirumala ghat roads, Tirupati – Tirumala Ghat road, there is a major discontinuity of stratigraphic significance that represents a period of remarkable serenity in the geological history of the Earth. T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madurai
Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in Tamil Nadu after Chennai and Coimbatore and the 44th most populated city in India. Located on the banks of River Vaigai, Madurai has been a major settlement for two millennia and has a documented history of more than 2500 years. It is often referred to as "Thoonga Nagaram", meaning "the city that never sleeps". Madurai is closely associated with the Tamil language. The third Tamil Sangam, a major congregation of Tamil scholars said to have been held in the city. The recorded history of the city goes back to the 3rd century BCE, being mentioned by Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to the Maurya empire, and Kautilya, a minister of the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya. Signs of human settlements and Roman trade links dating back to 3 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madurai Veeran
Madurai Veeran, also known as Veeran, is a Tamil folk deity popular in southern Tamil Nadu, India. His name literally means, "warrior of Madurai". Legend According to the ''Maduraiveeraswamikathai'', Veeran was born to royal parents and was abandoned, and later adopted by a couple from the Arunthathiyar community. He grew up among them and became a guard in the court of Bommanna Nayakan. When on duty as a guard of the chieftain's daughter Bommi, he fell in love with her. At night, he sneaked up to her room, and the two eloped. During their escape, Bommanna Nayakan led an army after Veeran, and the latter defeated the army and killed Bommanna. The two then fled to Tiruchi, where Veeran was requested by the local king to defeat bandits terrorising his people, which he did so successfully and famously. His fame brought him to Madurai, which was also troubled by bandits. Thirumala Nayakar requested Veeran to help him. Veeran then met Vellaiyammal, a royal dancer, who was attr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tolkāppiyam
''Tolkāppiyam'', also romanised as ''Tholkaappiyam'' ( ta, தொல்காப்பியம், ''lit.'' "ancient poem"), is the most ancient extant Tamil grammar text and the oldest extant long work of Tamil literature. The surviving manuscripts of the ''Tolkappiyam'' consists of three books (''atikaram''), each with nine chapters (''iyal''), with a cumulative total of 1,610 (483+463+664) ''sutras'' in the ''nūṛpā'' meter. It is a comprehensive text on grammar, and includes ''sutras'' on orthography, phonology, etymology, morphology, semantics, prosody, sentence structure and the significance of context in language. The ''Tolkappiyam'' is difficult to date. Some in the Tamil tradition place the text in the mythical second sangam, variously in 1st millennium BCE or earlier. Scholars place the text much later and believe the text evolved and expanded over a period of time. According to Nadarajah Devapoopathy the earliest layer of the ''Tolkappiyam'' was likely composed be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sangam Period
The Sangam period or age (, ), particularly referring to the third Sangam period, is the period of the history of ancient Tamil Nadu, Kerala and parts of Sri Lanka (then known as Tamilakam) spanning from c. 6th century BCE to c. 3rd century CE. It was named after the famous Sangam academies of poets and scholars centered in the city of Madurai. The First Sangam to be located in ''Then Madurai'' under the patronage of 89 Pandya kings, during this period. It is said to have lasted for 4,440 years, and this would put the First Sangam between 9600 BCE to 5200 BCE. In Old Tamil language, the term Tamilakam (''Tamiḻakam'', ''Purananuru'' 168. 18) referred to the whole of the ancient Tamil-speaking area, corresponding roughly to the area known as southern India today, consisting of the territories of the present-day Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, parts of Andhra Pradesh, parts of Karnataka and northern Sri Lanka also known as Eelam. History According to Tamil legends, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
At Mahabarata
AT or at may refer to: Geography Austria * Austria (ISO 2-letter country code) * .at, Internet country code top-level domain United States * Atchison County, Kansas (county code) * The Appalachian Trail (A.T.), a 2,180+ mile long mountainous trail in the Eastern United States Elsewhere * Anguilla (World Meteorological Organization country code) * Ashmore and Cartier Islands (FIPS 10-4 territory code, and obsolete NATO country code) * At, Bihar, village in Aurangabad district of Bihar, India * Province of Asti, Italy (ISO 3166-2:IT code) Science and technology Computing * @ (or "at sign"), the punctuation symbol now typically used in e-mail addresses and tweets) * at (command), used to schedule tasks or other commands to be performed or run at a certain time * IBM Personal Computer/AT ** AT (form factor) for motherboards and computer cases ** AT connector, a five-pin DIN connector for a keyboard * The Hayes command set for computer modems (each command begins with th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism. Shiva is known as "The Destroyer" within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity which also includes Brahma and Vishnu. In the Shaivite tradition, Shiva is the Supreme Lord who creates, protects and transforms the universe. In the goddess-oriented Shakta tradition, the Supreme Goddess ( Devi) is regarded as the energy and creative power (Shakti) and the equal complementary partner of Shiva. Shiva is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism. Shiva has many aspects, benevolent as well as fearsome. In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash as well as a householder with his wife Parvati and his three children, Ganesha, Kartikeya and A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Muneeswarar
Muneeswarar (Tamil: முனீஸ்வரன்) is a Hindu god. He is worshipped as a family deity in several Shaivite families in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. His name is a combination of "Muni", meaning ''saint'', and "Ishvara", an epithet of Shiva. He is therefore an avatar of Shiva. Worship Muneeswarar is worshipped in Fiji, Karnataka, Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, Gudiyattam of Vellore district, and the northern part of Tamil Nadu in India, and more so in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname, where there are many temples dedicated to him. There are many small temples in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, where many Tamil-speaking people live. During the British colonial period, people brought the deity to Sri Lanka. Since his weapon is the trident, Muneeswarar temples contain a trident placed in the ground. Lemons are often placed on the prongs of the trident. In most villages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhasmasura
In Hinduism, Bhasmasura ( sa, भस्मासुर, ) is an asura or demon, who was granted the power to burn up and immediately turn into ashes (''bhasma'') anyone whose head he touched with his hand. The asura was tricked by the Vishnu's female avatar, the enchantress Mohini, to turn himself into ashes. Legend While Bhasmasura is a character who does not appear in the Puranas, his story is mentioned in regional literature. The asura is stated to have been born of the ''bhasma'' dust (ashes) on the body of Shiva. Pleased at the great devotion of the demon towards him, Shiva agreed to grant a boon of his choice. Bhasmasura sought the power to burn to ashes anybody on whose head he placed his hand. Shiva granted this to him. Bhasmasura became arrogant with the boon, and is stated to have become a nightmare to the whole world. Vishnu assumed the form of the ravishing Mohini, an attractive dancer, who allured him with her charm, and initiated a dance called the ''Muktanṛtya''. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adi Parashakti
Mahadevi ( sa, महादेवी, ), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, Adi Shakti, and Abhaya Shakti, is the supreme goddess in the Shaktism sect of Hinduism. According to this tradition, all Hindu goddesses are considered to be manifestations of this single great Goddess, who is comparable to the deities Vishnu and Shiva as Para Brahman. Vaishnavas consider her to be Lakshmi, Shaivas consider her to be Parvati, Durga, and Mahakali, while Shaktas consider her to be Durga, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneswari, and Kali. Author Helen T. Boursier says: "In Hindu philosophy, both Lakshmi and Parvati are identified with the great goddess Mahadevi and the Shakti or divine power". Vaishnavism The goddess Lakshmi is revered as Mahadevi in the Vaishnavite tradition, extolled to possess a thousand names and qualities such as The Bestower of Prosperity, The Lotus-eyed One, The Omniscient One, The One Who Meditates On The Ultimate Reality, as well as The One With The Cosmic Form. Var ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karuppu Sami
Karuppu Sami (Tamil: கருப்பசாமி, IAST: Karuppasāmi) is one of the regional Tamil male deities popular among the rural social groups of Tamil Nadu and parts of Kerala. He is one of the 21 associated folk-deities, and is hence one among the demigods or kaval deivams in Dravidian folk religion. He is sometimes considered to be a form of Shiva among Shaivas. Muthu karuppasamy Temples and shrines Karuppu Sami temple is mostly found in the outskirts of the Village. Usually, the whole village contributes to the maintenance of the temple. These temples/shrines do not have traditional Gopurams and have large statues of Gods with large eyes, holding weapons like bow and arrow, swords, sickle and other weapons. There could also be statues of 7 Kannimar goddesses/Saptha Kanniyar (7 virgins) and animals, often a hunting dog, a lion and horse alongside the main idol of Karuppu Sami. Karuppu Sami worship is based on an ancient ancestral clan-based worship system, which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
