Irāvān
Sign in to saveAlso known as Arāvan, Kuṭṭanatavara
Iravan also known as Iravat and Iravant, is a minor character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The son of Pandava prince Arjuna (one of the main heroes of the Mahabharata) and the Naga princess Ulupi, Iravan is the central deity of the cult of Kuttantavar (Kuttandavar) which is also the name commonly given to him in that tradition—and plays a major role in the sect of Draupadi. Both these sects are of Tamil origin, from a region of the country where he is worshipped as a village deity and is known as Aravan. He is also a patron god of well-known transgender communities called Alis (also Aravan
Key facts
- Deity.type
- Hindu
- Deity.image
- Sri Aravan.jpg
- Deity.alt
- A big moustached male head, with big eyes, big ears and thick eyebrows. Fangs protrude from the sides of his mouth. The head wears a conical crown, with a cobra hood at the top. A floral garland and gold necklace are seen around the neck.
- Deity.caption
- Aravan worshipped at Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore. A cobra hood is sheltering Aravan's head.
- Deity.name
- Iravan
- Deity.Devanagari
- इरावान्
- Deity.Sanskrit_transliteration
- Irāvāṇ
- Deity.script_name
- Tamil
- Deity.script
- அரவான்
- Deity.affiliation
- Nāga
- Deity.weapon
- Sword, Bow and Arrows
- Deity.consort
- Krishna in his Mohini form (in folk traditions)
- Deity.parents
- Ulupi (mother) Arjuna (father)
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Sri Aravan ஸ்ரீ அரவான் at Maha Mariamman Koyil Singapore (2023) - img 02.jpg
Show 1 more fact
- Commons category
- Aravan
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
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Article
17 sectionsContents
- Etymology and other names
- Iconography
- Historical development
- ''Mahabharata''
- Tamil traditions
- Selection as sacrificial victim
- Three boons
- Aravan to Kuttantavar
- Worship
- Following and temples
- Kuttantavar tradition
- Draupadi cult rituals
- Javanese traditions
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
Iravan also known as Iravat and Iravant, is a minor character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The son of Pandava prince Arjuna (one of the main heroes of the Mahabharata) and the Naga princess Ulupi, Iravan is the central deity of the cult of Kuttantavar (Kuttandavar) which is also the name commonly given to him in that tradition—and plays a major role in the sect of Draupadi. Both these sects are of Tamil origin, from a region of the country where he is worshipped as a village deity and is known as Aravan. He is also a patron god of well-known transgender communities called Alis (also Aravani in Tamil, and Hijra throughout South Asia).
The Mahabharata portrays Iravan as dying a heroic death on the 8th day of the 18-day Kurukshetra War (Mahabharata war), the epic's main subject. However, the South Indian traditions have a supplementary practice of honouring Aravan's self-sacrifice to the goddess Kali to ensure her favour and the victory of the Pandavas in the war. The Kuttantavar tradition focuses on one of the three boons granted to Aravan by the god Krishna in honour of this self-sacrifice. Aravan requested that he be married before his death. Krishna satisfied this boon in his female form, Mohini. In Koovagam, Tamil Nadu, this incident is re-enacted in an 18-day festival, first by a ceremonial marriage of Aravan to Alis (hijra) and male villagers (who have taken vows to Aravan) and then by their widowhood after ritual re-enactment of Aravan's sacrifice.