Aiyanar
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. Though Śāstā is the term especially used to indicate Ayyanar nowadays, there are two other deities known in the same name. Buddha is also called Sastha and Brahma-Śāstā is another name for Murugan. Sastha is a generic Sanskrit term for a teacher.Development
There are very few pieces of evidence to reconstruct the origin and development of Ayyanar. Some researchers assume Chattan could have entered the Tamil country with Buddhism. The earliest references to Ayyanar were discovered in the hero stones of hunting chieftains from Arcot, Tamil Nadu dated back to the 3rd century C.E. The phrase in the inscriptions which could be translated into "Ayyanappan; a shrine to Cattan" confirms that Ayyan and Chattan were the names of a single deity. A rock carving of a man and horse in the Isurumuniya Buddhist temple of Sri Lanka, is identified with Ayyanar. Sinhala Buddhists of Sri Lanka praise him in the form of a folk deity called Ayyanayake to the date.File:Isurumuniya_Man_and_the_Horse_Head.jpg|thumb|150 px|5th century CE Isurumuniya sculpture often identified with Ayyanayake, Sri Lankan Ayyanar.|alt=|leftIconography
The famous iconography of Aiyan shows him alone, carrying a Chentu in his right hand. Sometimes a whip, stick, sword or scepter can be seen in his hand. While he manifests in a squat position, A meditation band known as Yogapaţţam or Vāgupaţţai will present around his knees and waist. Pingalantai Nighantu, Kanda Puranam and Chola bronzes describe his mount as a white elephant. The horse is another mount abundantly seen in his local temples. Some texts have mentioned the blue horse and bull as his mount as well. After the popularity of the Ayyappan cult, the tiger is also identified as the mount of Sastha.According to Cūṭāmaṇi Nighaṇṭu, Sastha wears black garments and reddish garlands. His body is smeared with yellow paste and he carries a sword in his hand. In Kārana Agama, he sits on a throne with his right leg folded while his left leg is hanging down. He is usually depicted having blue or black complexion. Although his two armed form is common, some texts describe his forms with four or eight arms. Amsumadbheda Agama describes his four arms carrying Abhaya, Varada, sword and shield. In Ishana Siva Guru Paddhati, he is visualized as carrying an arrow, bow, knife and sword.
Other records on Ayyanar tell that he is accompanied by his two wives popularly known as Purana and Pushkala. Purna is dark complexioned and carries Varamudra in her right hand and blue lotus in the left. Pushkala is yellow complexioned and holds a noose in her right hand. Shilparatna describes him with only one wife called Prabha and their eight years old lad known as Satyakan
Folklore regards Aiyan as the guardian of the villages, riding on either an elephant or horse. He carries a bow and arrow to save his devotees. Pavadairayan, Karuppasamy are his attendants. Aiyanar images installed in villages are usually gigantic and they are identical with the Bhuta like iconography of Sastha given in Subrabheda Agama. In rural areas, Aiyanar is often represented with an escort, usually composed of the god's vassals, sometimes comprising demons. Consistent with this practice, terracotta horses are usually placed outside the temple. These are given up to the god as steeds for his night time perambulations.
Connections with Ayyappan
A deity named "Ayyappan" is not recorded in any early Tamil/Sanskrit sources though the name Ayyappan appears as synonymous with Sastha in Tiruvalla copper plates of the 12th century CE and Kanyakumari Guhanathaswami Kovil Inscription. Neither Ayyappa nor Sabarimala is known as a pilgrim spot in the Tamil region before the 1940s. According to researchers Eliza Kent, Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwai, the legends in the Ayyappa tradition seem to be "artificially mixed and assembled into a kind of collage" and "he should have emerged from a Dravidian god of tribal provenance".It has been claimed that the above mentioned Dravidian tribal god is none other than Ayyanar. Sabarimala Sthala Puranam, a recent purana, says that Ayyappan is the avatar of Ayyanar; the name Ayyappan has been described as a combination of Ayyan + Appan. Yogapatta bar around the knees of Ayyappan is the distinct character that can be seen in the Ayyanar statues of the Chola period. The horse mount of Aiyanar is still visible in the flag staff of Sabarimala Ayyappan temple. The synonym Sastha of Ayyappan is obviously the same as that of Ayyanar. Another important association is the presence of Karuppa samy in the worship of both deities.
Legend suggests that the image of Sabarimala Ayyappan was consecrated by Parashurama. However the Sanskrit inscription in the image says that it was installed in Kollam Era 1085 by Prabhakaracharya. Tamil devotees did not discriminate Ayyappan with Ayyanar and they believe that Ayyappan is the avatar of Ayyanar. It can be noted that Sri Lankan Ayyanar temples are being converted into Ayyappan temples following the outbreak of Sabarimala pilgrimage of Sri Lankan devotees in recent years.