Ovfanclub786 at 17:32, 22 February 2026

2026-02-22T17:32:29Z

New page

{{Short description|Hindu folk deity}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Hindu
| image = Tardo periodo chola, ayyanar, prov. sconosciuta, 1100-1350 ca.jpg
| caption = [[Chola dynasty|Chola]] statue of Ayyanar
| name = Aiyanar
| script_name =
| script =
| god_of = Guardian deity
| abode =
| mantra =
| weapon = [[Chentu]] (whip), [[sceptre]], [[sword]]
| mount = [[White elephant (animal)|White elephant]], [[horse]], [[bull]]<ref name="pratima">{{cite book | title=Pratima Kosha: A Descriptive Glossary of Indian Iconography | publisher=Prof.S.K.Ramachandra Rao Memorial Trust | author=Rao, S.K.Ramachandra | author-link=Sasta | year=1988 | location=Bangalore | pages=206–210}}</ref>
| consort = Puranai, Puskalai
| deity_of = Guardian deity
| venerated_in =
}}

'''Aiyanar''' ({{IAST3|Aiyaṉār}}, {{langx|ta|ஐயனார்}}) is a [[Village deities of South India|Tamil Hindu folk deity]] venerated in [[South India]] and [[Sri Lanka]]. His worship is prevalent amongst rural [[Tamils|Tamil people]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Narayanan|first1=Gita|last2=Thiagarajan|first2=Deborah|title=DakshinaChitra: In southern district thanjavur, place called Sathanur where old temple for ayyanar is in place( Palankulathu ayyanar).A Glimpse of South India|date=2001|publisher=Madras Craft Foundation|pages=40–41|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vLkYAAAAYAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Kulendiren|first1=Pon|title=Hinduism a Scientific Religion: & Some Temples in Sri Lanka|date=2012|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=978-1-4759-3673-5|page=188|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1475936753}}</ref><ref name = marg>{{cite book|title=Mãrg, Volume 37, Issues 3-4|publisher=Marg Publications|page=67|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K93WAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> Some studies suggest that Ayyanar may have also been worshipped in [[Southeast Asia]]n countries in the past.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Pal|first1=Pratapaditya|title=American Collectors of Asian Art|journal=Marg Publications|date=1986|volume=37|page=67|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kP_pAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> He is primarily worshipped as one of the village deities of [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Christa Neuenhofer|title=Ayyanar and Mariamman, Folk Deities in South India|date=2012|publisher=Blurb Incorporated.|isbn=978-1-4579-9010-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7OTMoAEACAAJ}}</ref> Temples to Aiyanar in the countryside are usually flanked by gigantic colourful statues of him and his companions riding horses or elephants.<ref>{{Cite journal | title= Horse Shrines in Tamil India: Reflections on Modernity|author= Mark Jarzombek|author-link= Mark Jarzombek| journal= Future Anterior |year= 2009| url= http://web.mit.edu/mmj4/www/downloads/future_ant4_1.pdf | volume=4 | issue=1 | pages=18–36 | doi=10.1353/fta.0.0031|s2cid= 191627473| doi-access= free}}</ref><ref name="dalal">{{cite book|last1=Dalal|first1=Roshen|title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|date=2010|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-341421-6|page=54}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
The [[Tamil language|Tamil word]] ''Ayyanār'' is derived from the root word ''Ayya'', a honorific used in a [[Tamil language]] to designate respected one.<ref>{{cite book|title=Indian Antiquary, Volume 2|date=1873|publisher=Popular Prakashan|page=168|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w-_lAAAAMAAJ}}</ref><ref name="tamilsinsrilankap374">Indrapala, K., ''The evolution of an ethnic identity: The Tamils in Sri Lanka C. 300 BCE to C. 1200 CE'', p.#</ref> Some people propose that ''Aryan'' could be the Sanskrit version of Tamil word ''Aiyyan'' which means the same.<ref name=BLSmith6/> There is a well known [[Aryankavu Sastha Temple|temple dedicated to Sastha]] situated in a village of [[Kerala]], called "[[Aryankavu]]".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pathmanathan|first1=S|title=Reflections on a Heritage: Historical Scholarship on Premodern Sri Lanka|date=2000|publisher=Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Cultural and Religious Affairs|location=Sri Lanka|isbn=978-955-613-108-6|page=88|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mA5WAAAAYAAJ}}</ref> Another name of Ayyanar, Sastha,<ref name = ame/> meets the same dispute. Although he appears as Sastha in Sanskrit scriptures, ancient Tamil records mention him as ''Chattan'' (சாத்தன், Cāttaṉ).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cutantiran̲|first1=Ā Vēluccāmi|title=Temples of Nannilam Taluk: as iconographical masterpieces Volume 225 of Tamil̲p Palkalaik Kal̲aka veḷiyīṭu|date=2001|publisher=Thanjavur Tamil University|page=205}}</ref>

==Development==
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]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sadasivan|first1=S. N.|title=A Social History of India|date=2000|publisher=APH|isbn=978-81-7648-170-0|page=121|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Be3PCvzf-BYC}}</ref><ref name = marg/><ref>{{cite book|title=Annals of Oriental Research, Volume 24|date=1972|publisher=University of Madras.|page=380|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79wNAAAAYAAJ}}</ref> The earliest references to Ayyanar were discovered in the [[hero stone]]s of hunting chieftains from [[Arcot, Vellore|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.<ref name = ame>{{cite book|last1=Williams|first1=Joanna Gottfried|last2= Hunnington|first2=Susan L.|title=Kalādarśana: American Studies in the Art of India Volume 9 of Studies in South Asian Culture|date=1981|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-06498-0|page=67|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w-_lAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> A rock carving of a man and horse in the [[Isurumuniya]] Buddhist temple of [[Sri Lanka]], is identified with Ayyanar.<ref name = neer>{{cite book|last1=Pestman|first1=P. W.|title=Acta Orientalia Neerlandica: Proceedings of the Congress of the Dutch Oriental Society Held in Leiden on the Occasion of Its 50th Anniversary, 8th-9th May 1970|date=1971|publisher=Brill Archive|page=116|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k84UAAAAIAAJ}}</ref> Sinhala Buddhists of Sri Lanka praise him in the form of a folk deity called ''Ayyanayake'' to the date.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Velu Pillai|first1=A.|title=Epigraphical Evidences for Tamil Studies|date=1980|publisher=Ulakat Tamil̲ārāycci Nir̲uvan̲am|page=113|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PHoOAAAAYAAJ}}</ref>[[File:Isurumuniya_Man_and_the_Horse_Head.jpg|thumb|150 px|5th century CE [[Isurumuniya]] sculpture often identified with [[Ayyanayake]], [[Sri Lanka]]n Ayyanar.|alt=|left]][[File:Ayyanar with Poorna Pushkala IMG 20170813 170522 1.jpg|thumb|150 px|alt=Ayynar with his consorts Poorna and Pushkala, 7th century.]]

=== Sanskrit Sources ===
Sastha started to appear in Sanskrit sources from the 7th century CE after [[Brahmanda Purana]]. It narrates the history of Hariharasuta, son of [[Visnu|Hari]] and [[Shiva|Hara]], who was born to Shiva during his copulation with [[Mohini]], the feminised form of Vishnu, after the [[Samudra manthan|churning of the milk sea]].<ref name = ame/> [[Agama (Hinduism)|Sivagama]] corpus of southern [[Shaiva Siddhanta]] including ''Pūrva Kāraṇa, Amṣūmatbhēda, Suprabhēda'', also have many references to the iconography of Sastha. Other Hindu Saivite texts viz. ''Ishana Siva Guru Paddhati, Kulala Sastragama and [[Shilparatna]]'' explain his worship and iconography briefly.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

=== Tamil Sources ===
[[File:Ayyanarappan.jpg|thumb]]
According to Fred Clothey, ''Aiyanar'' is a Tamil adaptation of ''Aiyan'', the chief deity of [[Velirs|Ay]] [[Tribal chief|chieftains]] who ruled parts of [[Kerala]] and [[Tamil Nadu]], the then [[Tamilakam]]. He also states that the term ''aayar'' meaning a [[herder|cow herder]] and a protector is an appropriate appellation for both the ''Ay'' chieftains and their [[Kuladevata|clan deity]].<ref name=BLSmith6>Smith, B. L., ''Religion and Legitimacy of power in South Asia'', p.6</ref> Tamil [[Sangam literature]] often mention poets and traders with the name ''Chattan'', who might have revered Sastha as their [[Kuladevata|clan deity]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Venkataramaiah|first1=K. M.|title=A handbook of Tamil Nadu|date=1996|publisher=International School of Dravidian Linguistics|isbn=978-81-85692-20-3|page=317|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2pAMAQAAMAAJ}}</ref>

Tamil epic [[Silappatikaram]], probably dated to the 4th century CE, records the temples and devotees of Cattan.<ref name = ame/> [[Appar]] (7th century CE), [[Saivism|Saivite]] [[Nayanars|Nayanar]] and one of the initiators of the Tamil [[Bhakti movement]], praises [[Shiva]] as the father of Chattan in his [[Tevaram]] ([[Tirumurai]], 4:32:4).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Subramanya Aiyar|first1=V.M.|title=Songs with description of twelve holy composition|url=http://thevaaram.org/en/thirumurai_1/songview.php?thiru=4&Song_idField=40320&padhi=032&startLimit=4&limitPerPage=1&sortBy=&sortOrder=DESC|website=Thevaaram.org|access-date=2 December 2017}}</ref><ref name=Kala62>Williams, J., ''Kaladarsana'', p.62</ref> ''[[Periya Puranam]]'', a Tamil Saivite epic of the 12th century CE tells that Aiyanar at [[Thiruppattur, Tiruchirappalli|Tiruppidavur]] revealed the Tamil song of [[Rajashekhara Varman|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.<ref name = ame/> Tamil [[Nighantu]]s (proto-glossaries) such as ''Piṅkalantai'' (11th century CE) and ''Cūṭāmaṇi Nighaṇṭu'' (1520 CE) have explicitly recorded the characteristics of Sastha.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

''Kanda purānam'', 14th century Tamil version of [[Skanda Purana]] narrates the history of Aiyanar in {{Transliteration|hi|Maha chattan patalam}} which seconds the story told in Brahmanda purana. Here Ayyan, Kanda puranam tells, sends his chief commander [[Mahakala]] to protect [[Shachi|Indrani]] from the demon [[Śūrapadmā|Surapadman]]. Mahakala chops down the hands of Ajamukhi, sister of Surapadman, who tried to abduct Indrani for her brother.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sivaraman|first1=Dr.Akila|title=sri kandha puranam (english)|date=2006|publisher=GIRI Trading Agency Private|isbn=978-81-7950-397-3|page=175|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SXwDdBdMJPwC}}</ref>

== Iconography ==
[[File:Ayyanar on elephant.jpg|thumb|Bronze statue of Ayyanar on an elephant, 16th century CE, Tamil Nadu]]
[[File:Ayyanar idols near Gobichettipalayam.jpg|left|thumb|Ayyanar in wrathful guardian form shares Tantric iconography with [[Bhairava#Iconography|Bhairava]] who safeguards the devotee in eight directions (ettu tikku)<ref>Harper, Katherine Anne, and Brown, Robert L. (Eds) (2002). The Roots of Tantra. Albany: State University of New York Press.</ref> as well as with Vajrayana guardian deities like [[Acala]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sahi |first1=Jyoti |title=The child and the serpent: reflections on popular Indian symbols |date=1990 |publisher=Penguin Group |location=Canada |isbn=978-0-14-019081-6 |page=194 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VzpeqN8VrkoC&q=The+child+and+the+serpent:+reflections+on+popular+Indian+symbols |access-date= 3 January 2019}}</ref>]]
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.<ref name = Dumont>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mylibrary.britishcouncil.org/knowledge-and-society/religion-in-india |title='A Folk Deity of Tamil Nad' by L. Dumont, in Religion in India ed. T.N. Madan |access-date=2011-02-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224211847/http://www.mylibrary.britishcouncil.org/knowledge-and-society/religion-in-india |archive-date=2011-02-24 }}</ref> ''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.<ref name="pratima"/> After the popularity of the Ayyappan cult, the tiger is also identified as the mount of Sastha.<ref name = tattva>{{cite book|title=Tattvāloka, Volume 16|date=1993|publisher=Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Educational Trust|page=246|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6H9TAAAAYAAJ}}</ref>

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 [[Abhayamudra|Abhaya]], [[Varadamudra|Varada]], sword and shield. In ''Ishana Siva Guru Paddhati,'' he is visualized as carrying an arrow, bow, knife and sword.<ref name="pratima"/>

Other records on Ayyanar tell that he is accompanied by his two wives popularly known as Purana and Pushkala.<ref name = ame/> Purna (on his right) is dark complexioned and carries Varamudra in her right hand and blue lotus in the left. Pushkala (on his left) is yellow complexioned and holds a noose in her right hand. ''[[Shilparatna]]'' describes him with only one wife called Prabha and their eight years old lad known as Satyakan<ref name = tattva/>

Folklore regards Aiyan as the guardian of the villages, riding on either an elephant or horse. He carries a bow and arrow to save his devotees. [[Pavadairayan]], [[Karuppu Sami|Karuppasamy]] are his attendants. Aiyanar images installed in villages are usually gigantic and they are identical with the [[Bhoot (ghost)|Bhuta]] like iconography of Sastha given in ''Subrabheda Agama''.<ref name="pratima"/> In rural areas, Aiyanar is often represented with an escort, usually composed of the god's vassals, sometimes comprising demons. Consistent with this practice, [[terracotta]] horses are usually placed outside the temple. These are given up to the god as steeds for his night time perambulations.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

== Connections with Ayyappan ==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| image1 = Aiyanar, South India, c. 14th century AD, bronze - Matsuoka Museum of Art - Tokyo, Japan - DSC07172.JPG
| width1 = 150
| alt1 =
| caption1 =
| image2 = Ayyapan(1).jpg
| width2 = 150
| alt2 =
| caption2 =
| footer = A 14th century Ayyanar sculpture (left) and depiction of Ayyappan at [[Sabarimala]] sanctum (right). Compare the meditation band ''Yogapattam'' around the knees of both deities.
}}
{{Main|Ayyappan}}

A deity named "Ayyappan" is not recorded in any early Tamil/Sanskrit sources though the name ''Ayyappan'' appears as synonymous with (Vediya) Sastha in [[Tiruvalla copper plates]] of the 12th century CE and Kanyakumari Guhanathaswami Kovil Inscription.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NsPMtQ3UdmYC | title=Travancore Inscription: A Topographical List |location=New Delhi |publisher=Asian Educational Services | author=Poduval, R. Vasudeva | year=1990 | page=76| isbn=978-81-206-0555-8 }}</ref> Neither Ayyappa nor [[Sabarimala Temple|Sabarimala]] is known as a pilgrim spot in the Tamil region before the 1940s.<ref>Kajaerholm (1984), p.3</ref> 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"<ref name=kent83>{{cite book|author=Eliza Kent|title=Lines in Water: Religious Boundaries in South Asia|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=iYOiAgAAQBAJ |year=2013| publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn= 978-0-8156-5225-0|pages=80–83}}</ref> and "he should have emerged from a [[Dravidian people|Dravidian]] god of tribal provenance".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VbvIDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA94|page=94|title=Same-Sex Love in India: Readings in Indian Literature|publisher=[[Springer Publishing]]|author1=Ruth Vanita|author-link=Ruth Vanita|author2=Saleem Kidwai|author2-link=Saleem Kidwai|year=2000|isbn=1-137-05480-8}}</ref>

It has been claimed that the above mentioned Dravidian tribal god is none other than Ayyanar.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pillai |first=V. Narayana |date=1939 |title=Śāsta Cult in Travancore. Is It a Relic of Buddhism ? |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |volume=3 |pages=230–240 |jstor=44252378 |issn=2249-1937}}</ref><ref name="dalal"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Kent|first1=Eliza F.|title=Sacred Groves and Local Gods: Religion and Environmentalism in South India|date=2013|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=978-0-19-989546-5|pages=79–119|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0199895465}}</ref> Sabarimala Sthala Puranam, a recent purana, says that [[Ayyappan]] is the [[avatar]] of Ayyanar;<ref>{{cite book|last1=Devdutt Pattanaik|title=The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine|date=2000|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-59477-537-6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IVsoDwAAQBAJ}}</ref> the name Ayyappan has been described as a combination of Ayyan (Ayyanar) + Appan (father).<ref>{{cite book|author=Mikhail Sergeevich Andronov|title=A Grammar of the Malayalam Language in Historical Treatment|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H422cDV5qX4C&pg=PA49|year=1996|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag|isbn=978-3-447-03811-9|page=49}}</ref><ref name=bronkhorst>{{cite book|author1=Johannes Bronkhorst|author2=Madhav Deshpande|title=Aryan and non-Aryan in South Asia: evidence, interpretation, and ideology; proceedings of the International Seminar on Aryan and Non-Aryan in South Asia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EOdtAAAAMAAJ|year=1999|publisher=Harvard University, Dept. of Sanskrit and Indian Studies|isbn=978-1-888789-04-1|pages=177–178}}</ref> 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.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}} The synonym Sastha of Ayyappan is obviously the same as that of Ayyanar.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=Roland E.|title=Mappila Muslims of Kerala: A Study in Islamic Trends|date=1976|publisher=Orient Longman|page=22|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z4QeAAAAMAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Dubey|first1=D. P.|title=Pilgrimage Studies: The Power of Sacred Places Issue 5 of Pilgrimage studies|date=2000|publisher=Society of Pilgrimage Studies|isbn=978-81-900520-3-0|page=63|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ywAQAAAAYAAJ}}</ref> Another important association is the presence of [[Karuppa samy]] in the worship of both deities.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

Legend suggests that the idol of Sabarimala Ayyappan was consecrated by [[Parashurama]]. However, the Sanskrit inscription in the old bronze idol revealed that it was crafted in [[Malayalam calendar|Kollam Era]] 1085 (1910 CE) by an artisan named Prabhakar Acharya.<ref name="pratima"/> Tamil devotees did not discriminate Ayyappan with Ayyanar and they believe that Ayyappan is the avatar of Ayyanar.<ref name = marg/> It can be noted that Sri Lankan Ayyanar temples are being converted into Ayyappan temples following the outbreak of Sabarimala pilgrimage of Sri Lankan devotees in recent years.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Shutharsan|first1=S.|title=Arikaraputtira aiyaṉār (Tamil)|url=http://www.ourjaffna.com/temples/%E0%AE%85%E0%AE%B0%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B0%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B0-%E0%AE%90%E0%AE%AF%E0%AE%A9%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%8D|website=Ourjaffna.com|publisher=Analaikkumaran|access-date=3 December 2017|archive-date=4 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171204114549/http://www.ourjaffna.com/temples/%e0%ae%85%e0%ae%b0%e0%ae%bf%e0%ae%95%e0%ae%b0%e0%ae%aa%e0%af%81%e0%ae%a4%e0%af%8d%e0%ae%a4%e0%ae%bf%e0%ae%b0-%e0%ae%90%e0%ae%af%e0%ae%a9%e0%ae%be%e0%ae%b0%e0%af%8d}}</ref>

== Worship ==
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 [[Agama (Hinduism)|Agamic]] style and non-Agamic open air shrines. Ayyanar in Agamic temple is usually called Sastha or Dharma sastha.<ref name = neer/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Sivkishen|title=Kingdom of Shiva|date=2015|publisher=Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd|isbn=978-81-288-3028-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kmVZBgAAQBAJ}}</ref> Kerala retains its Ayyanar temples as Sastha temples.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Menon|first1=A. Sreedhara|title=Cultural Heritage of Kerala: An Introduction|date=1978|publisher=East-West Publications|pages=17–28}}</ref> 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.<ref name = Dumont/><ref name=Narasimhachary>Mudumby Narasimhachary (Ed) (1976). Āgamaprāmāṇya of Yāmunācārya, Issue 160 of Gaekwad's Oriental Series. Oriental Institute, Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal | title= Horse Shrines in Tamil India: Reflections on Modernity|author= Mark Jarzombek|author-link= Mark Jarzombek| journal= Future Anterior |year= 2009| url= http://web.mit.edu/mmj4/www/downloads/future_ant4_1.pdf | volume=4 | issue=1 | pages=18–36 | doi=10.1353/fta.0.0031|s2cid= 191627473| doi-access= free}}</ref> Many castes of Tamil Nadu worship Ayyanar as their [[Kuladevata|Kula deivam]].{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

==Image gallery==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Ayyannar Temple Horse.jpg|Front view of an Ayyanar Kovil, Perambalur, Tamil Nadu.
File:Aiyanar 2 épouses 01397.JPG|Ayyanar and his two consorts, 15–17th century CE, [[Musée des beaux-arts et d'archéologie de Châlons-en-Champagne|Châlons-en-Champagne French Museum]]
File:Ayyanar idols near Gobichettipalayam.jpg|Ayyanar sculptures at [[Gopichettipalayam]]
File:Madurai si0704.jpg|Ayyanar on horse, Madurai
File:Mampatti Sri Kadukavalar Temple.jpg|White elephant mount at Agamic Ayyanar temple, Mampatti
File:Kattuvalli ayya view.JPG|Kattuvalli Ayyan Kovil, Kerala
File:Ayyannar Car.jpg|Ayyannar Car festival, [[Thungapuram]]
File:Kurukkalmadam Ayyanar.jpg|A name board of an Ayyanar Kovil at [[Kurukkalmadam]], [[Batticaloa district|Batticaloa]]
File:SRI AYYANAR TEMPLE COIMBATORE.png|Ayyanar with his consort ( digital image)
File:17th Century Aiyyanar Bronze.jpg|Ayyanar 17thcentury Bronze Statue
File:Ayyanar on elephant.jpg|17 th century Ayyanar statue seated on elephant
File:ஶீ இடை வீட்டு அய்யனார் கோவில் .jpg|Ayyanar statue
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Ayyappan]]
* [[Karuppu Sami]]
* [[Village deities of South India]]
* [[Shasta (deity)]]
* [[Ayyanayake]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite journal|last=Kajaerholm |first=Lars |title=Aiyanar and Aiyappan in Tamil Nadu: Change and Continuity in South Indian Hinduism |journal=Folk. Dansk Ethnografisk Tidsskrift Kobenhavn |volume=26 |pages=67–92 |year=1984 |url=https://www.hindu.dk/1d/ar/Ai-Ai1200.pdf |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304192826/http://www.hindu.dk/1d/ar/Ai-Ai1200.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}
* {{cite journal | last = Valk | first = Ulo | title = Village deities in Tamil Nadu:Myth and legends|journal = Asian Folklore Studies | volume = 66 | pages = 179–199 | year = 2007}}
* {{cite book | last = Smith | first = B. L. | title = Religion and the Legitimation of Power in South Asia | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=x2Jzn_LuLasC&q=Aiyanar+and+Aiyappan&pg=PA1 | publisher = [[Brill Academic Publishers]]| year = 1978 | isbn =90-04-05674-2}}
* [[Mark Jarzombek]], [http://web.mit.edu/mmj4/www/downloads/future_ant4_1.pdf "Horse Shrines in Tamil India: Reflections on Modernity"], Future Anterior, (4/1), pp 18–36.
* {{cite book | last = Bayly | first = Susan | title = Saints, Goddesses and Kings: Muslims and Christians in South Indian Society, 1700-1900 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=siLzp_4Dwb4C&q=Aiyanar+and+Aiyappan&pg=PA31 | publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]] | year = 2004 | isbn = 0-521-89103-5 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{cite book | last = Clothey | first = Fred | title = Many Faces of Murakan: The History and Meaning of a South Indian God | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=0AevljBmCRQC&q=Aiyanar+and+Aiyappan&pg=PA201 | publisher = Walter De Gruyter Inc | year = 1978 | isbn =90-279-7632-5}}
* {{cite book | last = Karthigesu | first = Sivathamby | title = Sri Lankan Tamil society and politics | url = http://www.tamilnation.org/heritage/sivathamby.pdf | publisher = New Century Book House | year = 1995 | isbn =81-234-0395-X}}
* {{cite book | last = Morris | first = Brian | title = Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PguGB_uEQh4C&q=Aiyanar+and+Aiyappan&pg=PA128 | publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]]| year = 2005 | isbn =0-521-85241-2}}
* {{cite book | last = Bastin | first = Rohan | title = The Domain of Constant Excess: Plural Worship at the Munnesvaram Temples in Sri Lanka | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SMRJDhDxu38C&q=Aiyanar&pg=PA152 | publisher = [[Berghahn Books]]| year = 2002 | isbn =1-57181-252-0}}
* {{cite book | last = Williams | first = Joanna| title = Kaladarsana: American studies in the art of India | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-qoeAAAAIAAJ&q=Aiyanar+Hero+stones&pg=RA2-PA67| publisher = [[E.J. Brill]]| year = 1981 | isbn =90-04-06498-2 }}
*{{cite journal | last = Roberts | first = Michael | title = Tamil Tigers: Sacrificial symbolism and 'dead body politics' | journal = Anthropology Today | volume = 24 | pages = 22–23 | year = 2008 | issue = 3 | url=http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2008/09/tamil-tigers-sacrificial-symbolism-dead.html | doi=10.1111/j.1467-8322.2008.00587.x| url-access = subscription}}
* {{cite book | title=The evolution of an ethnic identity: The Tamils in Sri Lanka C. 300 BCE to C. 1200 CE| last=Indrapala| first=K.| page=374| year=2007| publisher=Vijitha Yapa| isbn=978-955-1266-72-1}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071001061741/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2006/11/05/stories/2006110500260200.htm A write-up on Ayyanar worship and the clay idol tradition]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928013626/http://www.passionfruitcoaching.com/ayyanar_sculpture.htm Ayyanar Folk Sculpture]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930225101/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/10/07/stories/2006100700390400.htm Divine Guardians scaring away evil spirits]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20030328121034/http://www.hindu.dk/1d/ar/Ai-Ai1200.pdf Aiyanar to Ayappa (PDF)]

{{HinduMythology}}

[[Category:Regional Hindu gods]]
[[Category:Tamil deities]]
[[Category:Children of Shiva]]

Aiyanar - Revision history

Ovfanclub786 at 17:32, 22 February 2026