imported>Yohan Anthony Sunanda: /* Sanskritisation */ Fixed capitalization errors

2021-04-14T22:39:53Z

Sanskritisation: Fixed capitalization errors

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'''Village deities''' are a common feature of the [[Hindu]] [[Pantheon (gods)|pantheon]] of [[deities]]. They are known as [[Gramadevata]]s. Each Hindu region and [[caste]] of India and [[South Asia]] has its share of village deities. '''[[Sri Lankan Tamils]]''' venerate their own group of '''village deities''' throughout [[Sri Lanka]], specifically in the [[Sri Lankan Tamil people|Tamil]]-dominated north and east of the island nation.

==List of Hindu deities==

* ''Annamar'' is a deity of the [[Nalavar]] and [[Pallar]] caste.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=JERuAAAAMAAJ|title=Sri Lankan Tamil society and politics|last=Civattampi|first=Kārttikēcu|date=1995|publisher=New Century Book House|isbn=9788123403953|pages=34|language=en}}</ref>
*''[[Ayyanar]]'', sometimes equated with [[Ayyappan|Sasta]] is a popular deity in almost all villages. ''Aiyan'' is the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] name for [[Buddha]] and the Aiyanar deity was first syncretised with Buddha.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=yI4cAAAAMAAJ|title=Early Settlements in Jaffna: An Archaeological Survey|last=Ph.D. Ragupathy|first=Ponnampalam|date=1987|publisher=Thillimalar Ragupathy|location=University of Jaffna|pages=217|language=en}}</ref>
*''[[Matrikas|Elu Kanniyar]]'' take the form of seven virgins.
*Kanakampikai Amman is the guardian goddess of the [[Vanni region]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Buddhism among Tamils in Tamilakam and Īlam|last=Schalk|first=Peter|publisher=Historia Religionum|year=2013|isbn=978-91-554-8412-5|volume=33|location=University of Uppsala|pages=215|chapter=Part 3: Extension and Conclusions}}</ref>
*[[Kannaki Amman]] is the chief deity of the coastal folk.<ref name=":0" />
*[[Kali]], also [[Bhadrakali]], is a popular female deity. Bhadrakali and also [[Bhairava|Vairavar]] (common deity in most villages) are both also worshipped in the form of the [[trishula]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MlE9uG6PgkYC|title=Beyond Rationalism: Rethinking Magic, Witchcraft and Sorcery|last=Kapferer|first=Bruce|date=2003-02-01|publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=9780857458551|pages=156|language=en}}</ref>
*''Kattavarayan'' is a heroic saviour god and a deity of the [[Koviar|Kōviars]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0EBCAQAAMAAJ|title=The Ceylon Antiquary and Literary Register|date=1922|pages=12|language=en}}</ref>
*''Naccimar'' is a women's goddess often conflated with [[Mariamman]] or Ampal, the mother Goddess.
*''Naka Tampiran,'' a form of [[Shiva]] is also common deity in most villages.
*''Periyatampiran'', a form of [[Shiva]] is a caste deity of the [[Vannar]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lEBuAAAAMAAJ|title=Tamils and Moors: caste and matriclan structure in eastern Sri Lanka|last=McGilvray|first=Dennis B.|date=1974|publisher=University of Chicago|pages=205|language=en}}</ref>
*''Valliyakkan'', a [[Yaksha]] deity popular among the [[Paraiyar|Paraiyars]].<ref name=":0" />
*[[Varuna|''Varunan'']], the sea god, used as [[totem]] by the [[Karaiyar|Karaiyars]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i2FhAAAAMAAJ|title=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka|date=1993|publisher=Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka|pages=137|language=en}}</ref>
* ''Virumar,'' a form of [[Brahma]] is a deity of the Kollar and Tattar.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?hl=no&id=EjptAAAAMAAJ|title=Journal of the Institute of Asian Studies|date=1991|publisher=Institute of Asian Studies|pages=7|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

==Sanskritisation==
{{Main|Sanskritisation}}
The identities of some of above the lesser known deities had been lost and most of them are now identified as [[Bhairava|Vairavar]] and [[Kali]]. Both are worshipped in the form of ''[[Trishula|Trisulam]]''. Furthermore, the [[Saiva]] revivalism initiated by [[Arumuga Navalar]] has enabled many high status Tamils to subsume the village deities within the [[Āgama (Hinduism)|Agamic]] [[Hindu deities|pantheon]]. Within the [[Jaffna Peninsula]], a number of temples dedicated to Kannaki Amman has been converted to [[Bhuvaneshvari|Bhuvaneshwari]], [[Tripura Sundari|Rajarajeshwari]] and [[Mariamman]] temples.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite book
| last = Hudson
| first = Dennis
| title = Religious Controversy in British India: Dialogues in South Asian Languages
| publisher = [[State University of New York]]
| date = January 1992
| isbn = 0-7914-0827-2 }}</ref>

Similarly have some of the deities been [[Christianization|Christianized]] under the colonial influences. As many coastal inhabitants were under [[Portuguese Ceylon|Portuguese rule]] converted to [[Catholicism]], were many coastal [[Kannaki Amman]] shrines converted to churches of ''Our Lady'' (a title of [[Mary, mother of Jesus]]).<ref name=":0" />

==See also==
*[[Religion in ancient Tamil country]]
*[[Village deities of Tamil Nadu]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.nanzan-u.ac.jp/SHUBUNKEN/publications/galleys/AFS_galleys/66-Valk.pdf Village deities of Tamil Nadu]

{{HinduMythology}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Village Deities Of Tamils Of Sri Lanka}}
[[Category:Lists of deities]]
[[Category:Sri Lankan Tamil culture]]
[[Category:Tamil deities]]
[[Category:Tutelary deities]]

Village deities of Sri Lankan Tamils - Revision history

imported>Yohan Anthony Sunanda: /* Sanskritisation */ Fixed capitalization errors