Karuppannaswamy

Karuppannaswamy, also known as Karuppashani or Karupparayan (Tamil: கருப்பசாமி; Malayalam: കറുപ്പണ്ണസാമി), is the most prominent guardian deity (kaval deivam) in Tamil folk religion, worshipped primarily in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. The deity is revered as a fierce protector, upholder of justice and divine enforcer of dharma (righteousness) in South Indian folk religious traditions.

Among Tamil communities, Karuppannaswamy is worshipped both as a guardian deity (kavaltheivam) and as a clan or ancestral deity (kulatheivam). In parts of Tamil Nadu and the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border regions, local traditions identify the deity with a historical or legendary protector figure who was later deified in folk religious practice.