Editing Guardian Deities of Bhārata

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! style="text-align:left; vertical-align:top; font-weight:bold; padding:4px 6px; width:35%;" | Title
| style="vertical-align:top; padding:4px 6px;" | Guardian Deities of Bhārata
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| style="vertical-align:top; padding:4px 6px;" | Raj Bijalwan
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{| id="pravaha-abstract" role="region" aria-label="Summary" class="bjs-abstract-panel" style="float:right; clear:right; width:300px; max-width:300px; box-sizing:border-box; margin:0 0 1em 1em; border:1px solid #d6a9bc; border-collapse:separate; border-spacing:0; background:#fff7fa; color:#202122;"
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! class="bjs-abstract-heading" style="padding:8px 12px; background:#efcddd; color:#202122; text-align:left; font-size:1.15em; font-weight:700;" | <span class="bjs-abstract-controls"><span class="bjs-abstract-open">[[#pravaha-abstract|+]]</span><span class="bjs-abstract-close">[[#mw-content-text|-]]</span><span>Summary</span></span>
|- class="bjs-abstract-content-row"
| style="padding:14px 16px; background:#fff7fa; text-align:left; line-height:1.65; overflow-wrap:anywhere;" | <div class="bjs-abstract-preview">The worship of guardian deities entails a rich tradition of Bhāratīya civilisation. Linked to the local legends and rituals, the…</div><div class="bjs-abstract-full">The worship of guardian deities entails a rich tradition of Bhāratīya civilisation. Linked to the local legends and rituals, the practice of worshipping the warriors who fell while defending their communities, the tradition finds parallels across the different regions of the country. The hero-deification of the warriors is a pan-Bhārata instance that has assimilated into the devatā worship at several places. The worship is as ancient as the Vedas and has evolved over the centuries. The worship of guardian deities carries faith deeply rooted in local history</div>
|}

<span id="introduction"></span>

= Introduction =

Guardian deities remain a part of the larger traditions of Bhāratīya civilisation. Beyond the discourse that portrays the deities Ayyaṉār and Karuppaṇṇasāmi as uniquely Tamil; the actual textual, epigraphic, and archaeological records document this tradition as being embedded across every linguistic region.

The hero-deification, guardianship and protector tradition, situates the local deities as regional expressions of the broader Bhāratīya traditions. The deities, Ayyaṉār and Karuppaṇṇasāmi, emerge as a part of the pan-Bhārata religious observance of hero-stone worship which is not an isolated Tamil deities.

The building of the shrine, dedicated to warriors who fell defending the boundaries of the community, led to the emergence of deification of the warriors. The worship eventually integrated into the devatā shrine complex. This institution is known by several names; naṭukal in Tamil and vīragallu in Kannada. In Rajasthan this tradition is known as vīragal, khambhī in Gujarat, and is inculcated in devatā shrines in the Himalayan regions.

<span id="purpose-and-scope"></span>

== Purpose and Scope ==


The article brings forth the tradition of guardian deities in Bhārata. Through the article, the tradition is presented as Pan-Bhārata institution and is not limited to the southern part of Bhārata. The article also relates to the vaidika evidences of the worship tradition and presents the iconogaphy of the iconography of Ayyaṉār and other guardian deities. While explaining the paurāṇika resurgence of the tradition, the article emphasises the role of Tamil bhakti movement in integration of the local deity worship into a larger tradition. The article delves into the pan-Bhārata network of the guardian deity tradition.

<span id="collapse-historical-background"></span>

<div id="pravaha-collapse-1" class="pravaha-collapse">
<div class="pravaha-collapse-title"><span class="pravaha-collapse-open">[[#pravaha-collapse-1|+]]</span><span class="pravaha-collapse-close">[[#mw-content-text|-]]</span><span>Historical Background</span></div>
<div class="pravaha-collapse-content">


<span id="the-vaidika-witness-to-the-worship"></span>

== The Vaidika Witness to the Worship ==


The worship of Ayyaṉār originated within a cultural matrix that practised the veneration of the warriors who fell while protecting their communities. In Tamil, this tradition is called naṭukal or vīrakkal; in Kannada, this tradition is called vīragallu; while in Maharashtra, it is called vīragal. In Rajasthan, this institution is known as paliya. In Gujarat, it is called khambī and the Himalayan regions integrate this tradition into their devatā worship rituals.

The Vedas identify a ritual similar to the consecration or a planted stone over the dead. The tenth maṇḍala's eighteenth sūkta of the <span class="mark">Ṛg Veda</span> mentions paridhi, suggesting of a boundary for the living:

'''''<span class="mark">इमं जीवेभ्यः परिधिं दधामि मैषां नु गादपरो अर्थमेतम् ।</span>'''''

'''''<span class="mark">शतं जीवन्तु शरदः पुरूचीरन्तर्मृत्युं दधतां पर्वतेन ॥</span>'''''

'''''<span class="mark">imaṃ jīvebhyaḥ paridhiṃ dadhāmi maiṣāṃ nu gādaparo arthametam |</span>'''''

'''''<span class="mark">śataṃ jīvantu śaradaḥ purūcīrantarmṛtyuṃ dadhatām parvatena ||</span> [<nowiki/>[https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/rig-veda-english-translation/d/doc838692.html <u>1</u>]]'''''

जीवनधारी मनुष्यों की रक्षा के लिये, (मैं) इस पाषाण की स्थापना करता हूँ; (एपां अपरः एतम्‌ अर्थं मा गात्‌ नु ) इनमें से कोई भी उस मृत्यु के मार्ग न जाए । ये लोग (दाते दारदः पुरूचीः जीवन्तु ) सैंकड़ों वर्ष जीवित रहें और इस लिये (पेतेन मत्यु: अन्तः दधताम्‌ ) पाषाण से मृत्यु को मैं दूर करता हूँ ॥४॥ [<nowiki/>[https://archive.org/details/rigveda-ka-subodh-bhasya-sripada-damodara-satavalekar/Rig%20Veda%20Ka%20Subodh%20Bhashya%20By%20Shri%20Pada%20Damodar%20satvalekar%201975%20Paradi%20-%20Swadhyay%20Mandal/page/(%E0%A5%A9%E0%A5%AB)/mode/2up?q=+%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%82+ <u>2</u>]]

<span class="mark">I erect this circle (of stones) for (the protection of) the living, that none other of them may approach this limit; may they live a hundred years, occupied by many holy works, and keep death hidden by this mound.</span> [<nowiki/>[https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/rig-veda-english-translation/d/doc838692.html <u>1</u>]]

Similarly, the thirteenth verse from the eighteenth sūkta mentions ‘sthūṇa’ which means a standing pillar or post. The verse beseeches the ancestors to raise the pillar. In the Atharvaveda’s eighteenth book, the pitṛmedha sūkta presents information and details regarding the ritual programme and the construction of the mound or pillar installation and the worship at the funerary site. This does not merely suggest a developed ritual of the hero-stone worship, it also codifies it through specific prescriptions. Thus, at this point the claim of the ritual of the hero-stone worship being solely a Tamil tradition collapses completely.

<span id="counterparts-of-tolkāppiyams-rituals"></span>

== Counterparts of Tolkāppiyam’s Rituals ==


Tolkāppiyam, a Tamil treatise on grammar, elaborates the naṭukal worship as a poetic subject. Several commentators furthered their enquiry into the six stages of naṭukal erection mentioned in the Poruḷatikāram section of Tolkāppiyam:

<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;">

<li><blockquote><p>Kātci: searching, selection of stone</p></blockquote></li>

<li><blockquote><p>Kālkōl: taking the stone; the ritual transport</p></blockquote></li>

<li><blockquote><p>Nīrpaṭai: water of water; bathing with sacred water</p></blockquote></li>

<li><blockquote><p>Naṭukal: erection of the stone with the hero's name inscribed</p></blockquote></li>

<li><blockquote><p>Perumpaṭai: ceremonial feast for the public</p></blockquote></li>

<li><blockquote><p>Vāḻttu: praise or offering praise-songs and continuing of the worship</p></blockquote></li></ol>

The Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa also prescribes a parallel structure following similar pattern. It begins with the sthāna-parīkṣaṇa (the site examination), the pāṣāṇa-grahaṇa (taking the stones), the snāpana (the bathing and purification), the sthūṇa-pratiṣṭhā (the installation of the pillar with mantras), annadāna (the public food offering, community feasts), and stotra (the praise and invocations).

<span class="mark">From the Hiraṇyakeśin Pitṛmedhasūtra to the Āśvalāyana Gṛhyasūtra, Pāraskara Gṛhyasūtra, and Kātyāyana Śrautasūtra</span>, there are elaborate ceremonial prescriptions stated in the texts that codify hero-deification and its rituals.

<span id="collapse-iconography-of-ayyaṉār-and-other-guardian-deities"></span>

</div>
</div>

<div id="pravaha-collapse-2" class="pravaha-collapse">
<div class="pravaha-collapse-title"><span class="pravaha-collapse-open">[[#pravaha-collapse-2|+]]</span><span class="pravaha-collapse-close">[[#mw-content-text|-]]</span><span>Iconography of Ayyaṉār and Other Guardian Deities</span></div>
<div class="pravaha-collapse-content">


The vaidika deity of Revanta is often considered to be the source of the iconography associated with Ayyaṉār. R. Nagaswamy, in his book ‘Art and Culture of Tamil Nadu’, proposes Ayyaṉār being a form of the vaidika Revanta. Hunter Revanta, as the son of Sūrya and Saraṇyū, was considered the guardian of forests and warriors. Bṛhat Saṃhitā and Kālikā Purāṇa describe the iconography of Revanta with the epithet of Haya-vāhana and seated upon a horse-vehicle.

Nagaswamy relates the iconography of Ayyaṉār to a young male on horseback, carrying sword and bow while accompanied by dogs and a hunting retinue. His place of worship is located at the forest edge [<nowiki/>[https://archive.org/details/bUeW_art-and-culture-of-tamilnadu-by-r.-naga-swami-1980-delhi-sundeep-prakashan-delhi/page/49/mode/2up?q=temple+of+village+gods <u>3</u>]]. The Tamil Cāttaṉ, worshipped in the naṭukal, is often considered to have absorbed the worship of Revanta. Cāttaṉ is understood to have connections with Buddhism and Jainism as well.

The term Śāstā is derived from the Saṃskṛta word śās meaning to teach, instruct, rule, or chastise. The root word further yields words like śāstra, śāsana, śiṣya, etc. Śāstā also becomes the central epithet of Buddha. Records from the Sangam age state that there were over two dozen poets bearing the name Cāttanār, symbolising the widespread use of the name of the deity. The evolution of the iconography from a teacher to a guardian also indicates that the horseman iconography was added later in the deification of Ayyaṉār.

<span id="the-paurāṇika-resurgence"></span>

== The Paurāṇika Resurgence ==


The temple tradition of worshipping Ayyaṉār, as prevalent today, was recognised only around 6th - 9th century CE during the Pallava period. When the worship of Revanta emerged in the south, the pre-existing Aiyaṉ Cāttaṉ worship absorbed the iconography. The offering of clay-horse in the modern Ayyaṉār worship is a continuation of that practice of worship.

The paurāṇika resurgence of Revanta’s worship is found in the Brāhmaṇda Purāṇa, where Śāstā as Harihara-suta or the son of Śiva and Mohinī (Viṣṇu's feminine avatāra). The adoption of Harihara-suta transcended the problems of sectarian preferences and provides a wider space to both Vaiṣṇavas and Śaivas to be united in worship of a singular deity. The Skanda Purāṇa narrates the legend of Indra who directs Śāstā to protect Indrāṇī from the asura Śūrapadmā. The text also established the lore about his consorts Pūrṇā and Puṣkalā as well as a son named Satyaka.

Later, the Tamil Bhakti movement integrated the deity into the larger tradition. There are several songs that relate to Śāsta in Śaiva as well Vaiṣṇava tradition. The Cōḷa–Pāṇḍya temple icon, Ayyaṉār is projected seated in yogapaṭṭa position on a throne along with his consorts. This figure emerges as Ayyappaṉ in Kerala by the 10-12th century. The deity undergoes another transformation by shifting from a teacher to a warrior, protector, and a king.

Karuppaṇṇasāmi, a guardian deity from Tamil Nadu, appears only in 16-18th century. He is described as the senāpati of Ayyaṉ. In Kanda Purāṇam, a Tamil version of Skanda Purāṇa, there is a mention of Ayyaṉ ordering Mahākāla (Karuppaṇṇasāmi) to protect Indrāṇī from the asura Sūrapadma.

<span id="collapse-the-pan-bhārata-network-and-modern-relevance"></span>

</div>
</div>

<div id="pravaha-collapse-3" class="pravaha-collapse">
<div class="pravaha-collapse-title"><span class="pravaha-collapse-open">[[#pravaha-collapse-3|+]]</span><span class="pravaha-collapse-close">[[#mw-content-text|-]]</span><span>The Pan-Bhārata Network And Modern Relevance</span></div>
<div class="pravaha-collapse-content">


There are several identical deities carrying similar characteristics, similar forms of worship, serving as the kuladevatā, and mediated by the oracle across Bhārata. Ayyappaṉ of Keralam is the closest to the deity Ayyaṉār. They both share the same Harihara-suta lineage and both have Karuppasāmi as a commander. Khaṇḍobā, Mailāra, or Mārtāṇḍa-Bhairava from Maharashtra and Karnataka have similar iconography that depicts the deified hero as one who is riding on a horse with a sword in hand. The commander figure, similar to Karuppaṇṇasāmi, is Maṇi-Malla.

Andhra and Telangana have Mallanna, Potarāju, and Vīrappa as the similar deity with Potarāju as their commander. Vetāl or Veroṇā from Konkan are the near iconographic counterparts of Karuppaṇṇasāmi. Tulu Nadu practices Bhūta worship where they worship Pañjurli, Kallurti, and others; this is the closest counterpart from the southern region of Bhārata. Rajasthan’s Gogā-jī, Rāmdev-jī, and Pābūjī also carry the same iconography of riding on horse and function as the protector deity. From Gujarat’s Vāghreśvara and Pāḷiyā to Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh’s Bīr-bābā and Birsā, the tribal belts also have deified heroes at the village boundaries.

In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Pīr-bābā, Brahm-bābā, etc. are counterparts to the Ayyaṉār of Tamil Nadu. Bengal's Dharma Ṭhākur is closest Bengali representation of the Tamil Cāttaṉ. In Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Mahāsū Devatā in the form of four brothers is worshipped not just as a kuladevatā but as a justice-dispenser, that also involves oracle-possession. Similar traditions are also found in Sri Lanka and the Indo-Caribbean region.

A constant pattern can be observed in the ritual worship of guardian deities. Embedded in oral-epic narrative cycles and theologically re-parenting, the tradition is rooted in deification of warriors as living deities. Through the expression of shared inheritance of worship, the regional instance becomes a pan-Bhārata religious ritual of guardianship and protector tradition.

<span id="conclusion"></span>

</div>
</div>

= Conclusion =

The hero-stone worship tradition, endorsed and practised since the vaidika age, appears to be that invisible but strong thread which binds Bhāratīya civilisation. While the regional instance spreads even to the Indo-Caribbean region and Sri Lanka, a clear textual lineage offers a true picture to the worship of locally rooted deities. The tradition of guardian deities and their worship situates itself as a core religious ritual and structurally envelopes Bhārata’s rich culture.

<span id="references"></span>

= References: =

<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;">

<li><blockquote><p>www.wisdomlib.org. (2021, August 27). Rig Veda 10.18.4 [English translation]. [https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/rig-veda-english-translation/d/doc838692.html <u>https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/rig-veda-english-translation/d/doc838692.html</u>]</p></blockquote></li>

<li><blockquote><p>Rigveda Subodh Bhasya (All set 1-4) : Sripada Damodara Satavalekar : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (2024, April 26). Internet Archive. [https://archive.org/details/rigveda-ka-subodh-bhasya-sripada-damodara-satavalekar/Rig%20Veda%20Ka%20Subodh%20Bhashya%20By%20Shri%20Pada%20Damodar%20satvalekar%201975%20Paradi%20-%20Swadhyay%20Mandal/page/(%E0%A5%A9%E0%A5%AB)/mode/2up?q=+%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%82+ <u>https://archive.org/details/rigveda-ka-subodh-bhasya-sripada-damodara-satavalekar/Rig%20Veda%20Ka%20Subodh%20Bhashya%20By%20Shri%20Pada%20Damodar%20satvalekar%201975%20Paradi%20-%20Swadhyay%20Mandal/page/(%E0%A5%A9%E0%A5%AB)/mode/2up?q=+%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%82+</u>]</p></blockquote></li>

<li><blockquote><p>Art and Culture of Tamilnadu by R. Naga Swami, 1980, Delhi Sundeep Prakashan, Delhi : Sundeep Prakashan, Delhi : Free download, borrow, and streaming : Internet Archive. (2022b, November 28). Internet Archive. [https://archive.org/details/bUeW_art-and-culture-of-tamilnadu-by-r.-naga-swami-1980-delhi-sundeep-prakashan-delhi/page/49/mode/2up?q=temple+of+village+gods <u>https://archive.org/details/bUeW_art-and-culture-of-tamilnadu-by-r.-naga-swami-1980-delhi-sundeep-prakashan-delhi/page/49/mode/2up?q=temple+of+village+gods</u>]</p></blockquote></li></ol>



== Original Article Information ==

* '''Original Article Link:''' https://www.brhat.in/dhiti/ayyanar-and-karuppannasami-a-stratigraphy-of-their-origins-and-pan-indian-cousins
* '''Original Article Details:''' Examining the Vaidika, Paurāṇika, and pan-Indian origins of Ayyaṉār and his fierce commander Karuppaṇṇasāmi