Who are the village gods of Tamil Nadu? | Aiyanar, Mariamman - Storytrails
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Who are the village gods of Tamil Nadu? | Aiyanar, Mariamman

In a small village near Madurai, the village gods are quite unlike the Vedic gods. They may look fearsome and grim, but have colourful and human personalities. They are the go-to gods in case of any trouble, illness or grief. The ancient village gods of Tamil Nadu are the personal guardians of the village, the protectors of the people and have a specific role to play in the lives of Keezha Kuil Kudi village people.

Take a drive through rural Tamil Nadu and at the entrance to many villages, you will be greeted by colourful mud horses with fierce men riding atop them. What do these terracotta figures symbolise? This short video is about ancient village Gods of south India; fearsome gods who protect, but are incredibly human as well. Listen to stories of how these gods may have originated, and learn about the customs they inspire to this day. This video takes you to a village called Keezha kuil kudi on the outskirts of Madurai in south India.

Village Gods: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiyanar#/media/File:Ayyanar_idols_near_Gobichettipalayam.jpg, Public Domain 

Karuppu saami https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karuppu_Sami#/media/File:Sanggilikaruppan.JPG, Public Domain

Punnainallur Mariamman :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punnainallur_Mariamman#/media/File:PunnainallurSriMariamman.gif, Public Domain

Mariamman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Procession_de_Mariamman.jpg Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

Fire walking Photo by Jonathan Choo via Straitstime: https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/photos/a-fiery-walk-of-faith-for-hindus, https://desinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Fire-Walking-Theemithi.jpg

Mariamman bangles by Beeshma Acharya via Pinterest: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c8/a5/95/c8a5954651e52cbb1d4858cf642d5045.jpg

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