Aiyanar
Sign in to saveAlso known as Ayyanar, Ayyan, Sastha, Chathan
Aiyanar (, ) is a Tamil Hindu folk deity venerated in South India and Sri Lanka. His worship is prevalent amongst 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 Tamil Nadu. Temples to Aiyanar in the countryside are usually flanked by gigantic colourful statues of him and his companions riding horses or elephants.
In the Vinony graph
Within Vinony's link graph, Aiyanar is referenced by 84 other articles, and connects out to Vishnu, Indrāṇī and Brill.
Vinony files it under Children of Shiva, Regional Hindu gods and Tamil deities.
Its subject is documented across 14 Wikipedia language editions.
Key facts
- Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.type
- Hindu
- Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.image
- Tardo periodo chola, ayyanar, prov. sconosciuta, 1100-1350 ca.jpg
- Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.caption
- Chola statue of Ayyanar
- Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.name
- Aiyanar
- Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.god_of
- Guardian deity
- Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.weapon
- Chentu (whip), sceptre, sword
- Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.mount
- White elephant, horse, bull
- Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.consort
- Puranai, Puskalai
- Deity<! Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology >.deity_of
- Guardian deity
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Aiyanar, South India, c. 14th century AD, bronze - Matsuoka Museum of Art - Tokyo, Japan - DSC07172.JPG
Show 1 more fact
- Commons category
- Aiyanar
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~11 min read
Encyclopedic overview
12 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Development
- Sanskrit Sources
- Tamil Sources
- Iconography
- Connections with Ayyappan
- Worship
- Image gallery
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
Aiyanar (, ) is a Tamil Hindu folk deity venerated in South India and Sri Lanka. His worship is prevalent amongst 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 Tamil Nadu. Temples to Aiyanar in the countryside are usually flanked by gigantic colourful statues of him and his companions riding horses or elephants.
== Etymology == 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. There is a well known temple dedicated to Sastha situated in a village of Kerala, called "Aryankavu". Another name of Ayyanar, Sastha, meets the same dispute. Although he appears as Sastha in Sanskrit scriptures, ancient Tamil records mention him as Chattan (சாத்தன், Cāttaṉ).
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Aiyanar” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.