godsofclay_srivathsan.doc

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tradition

Gods of clay, men of craft

The Hindu

5 November 2006

A. SRIVATHSAN

The connection between the craft and worship is special to Ayyanar

temples.PHOTOS: A. SRIVATHSAN

KEEPING vigil: Ayyanar on the horse.

THE verdant fields, the unusually thin and tall coconut trees and the

tail end of Nagamalai Mountains make Melakkal the kind of village

many urban travellers would romantically and affectionately dream

of. Even the long wait for the bus only seems appropriate.

Signs of change

As you approach the village, the ubiquitous tea kadaigreets you

with a loud film song. It is not the radio that blares, but the

television. Down the road, the grocery shop is using an electronic

weighing machine and crates of soft drink are piled at the entrance.

At the bend, a makeshift petrol bunk sells petrol in empty soft drink

bottles. Concrete houses, newly-laid marble steps, a big school and

girls commuting 25 km daily to study in engineering colleges are

telltale signs of change.

However, on the outskirts of the village, the figures of fierce-looking

Karuppusami on horseback with a scary demon by his side and

Ayyanar on another horse, looking calm but assertive, are signs of a

different kind. They are signs of continuing traditions of craft,

myths, rituals and caste politics.


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Ayyanar and his retinue of 21 gods are worshipped as protective

deities. Ayyanar with his whip and Karuppusami, his most important

companion with a moustache and an aruval(a large sickle), are

eternally vigilant and stand guard on the outskirts of the village.

Ayyanar temples are not architecturally elaborate. The principal

deities Ayyanar and consorts Pushkala and Purnakala are

sculpted in stone and enclosed in a small shrine. Other deities are

made either in clay or stucco. While the gods of stone remain inside

the shrine, gods made in clay are kept in open air. Ayyanar and

Karuppusami sit on horses as tall as 20 feet and greet you at the

entrance. At a few places like Mazhaiyur near Pudukottai, attendant

gods like Semuni are not part of the Ayyanar temple but have their

own place and votive horses.

Natarajan Velar is the priest of the Melakkal temple. His narration of

the temple history and the cult of Ayyanar have no reference to

dates, kings and texts. All he can say is that it is a hoary tradition

and his family has served as priests for ages. Scholars may describe

Ayyanar worship as ancient and connect it with the Jains or Sastha,

Vishnu and Shiva, but Natarajan seems to remain outside such

concern. He enjoys a special relationship with the god he takes care

of; so do the other velars. Velars are a community of potters and

they make the idols and serve as priests.

Special connections

Attendant gods.

The connection between the crafts and worship is special to Ayyanar

temples. At an auspicious time, the villages collect money and


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commission the priest and his family to make new terracotta horses

for Ayyanar and, if necessary, a new Ayyanar too.

A handful of earth from the village is given to the priest who is also

the potter. The clay is then chosen carefully and the earth given is

mixed with it. Two kinds of clay are scooped from a relatively dried-

up water body. In the wet bed, clayey earth locally known

as Karambaiand a little grainy sandy earth called Paruman are

collected. It is then mixed with elephant dung and river sand in

suitable proportions. The legs of the horse are made first. Next, the

body is finished and then the head. Shifting the parts is an

important process. A makeshift bamboo and other improvised

cradles are used. The parts are joined together and stitched with

clay. There are variations to this process. In the Pudukottai region,

instead of elephant dung, paddy husk is mixed to ensure better

bonding. When the horse is ready, it is carried in a procession to the

temple and placed by the side of the Ayyanar. The old ones areremoved and kept aside to disintegrate.

The festival is elaborate. A few dance in trance and goats are

sacrificed. The head and legs of the animal are given to the priest as

his share. At times, the fleshy thighs are also shared. When I asked

a priest how they managed to sacrifice animals despite the

prohibition, he smiled ingeniously.

Being a priest does not pay Natarajan. But he has managed to

balance his aspirations to earn better and the yearning to stay with

traditions by turning priest after his retirement. So did Rajendran,

at the Singampidari temple near Madurai.

Earlier, the priests had lands donated to them. Velars are not

agriculturalists and hence leased their lands to the wealthy and


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dominating caste groups in the village. Some could never recover

their lands from the powerful lessees. A few have lost properties for

other reasons as well.

The potter-priest relationship associated with Ayyanar worship may

not be the same in the future. Rajendran's two sons are employed

in private firms in big cities and have less to do with the temple.

People like Krishnamoorthy in Arapalayam have left pottery and

making Ayyanars to his brother. While his brother earns Rs. 2, 000

by making five horses and two gods, he claims to earn Rs. 20, 000

from his catering business. His brother makes up by selling pots and

clay stoves on a busy street in Madurai.

However, the future is not bleak for Rangaswamy and his sons.

They are recognised craftsmen and are busy touring many parts of

India and selling terracotta artefacts. Based at Mazhaiyur, they still

make horses and terracotta gods for the village, but are not priests.

Rajathi at Varapur near Pudukottai manages to continue her father's

craft tradition through her self-help group. Some have successfully

managed to remain with the crafts.

Changing craft

Votive horses.

It's not just the economics; even the iconography and the crafts

have changed. At a few places Ayyanar now appears with an aruval.

At Kochadai, just outside Madurai, Muthiah Sami and Ayyanar have

acquired metallicutsava murthis or processional icons that are taken

on vahanas or vehicles during festival days. This was largely absent

in village temples. Prof. Aiyanar at Madurai Kamaraj University

points to many more differences and relates them to the changing


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socio-economic conditions. He even identifies specific caste symbols

in the icons. A research scholar in the same university describes

how Jain Tirthankaras in abandoned caves have been converted to

Karuppusami. All that is required is a simple brush stroke that can

paint a moustache over the abandoned Jain gods. Gods appear to

be as malleable as their material. However, a few desiring

permanency and cost reduction have started to make Ayyanars in

solid brick and mildly reinforced cement work.

At every Ayyanar temple, there is a shrine located away from and

outside the boundary wall of the main temple. It is the shrine for

the fiercely reassuring Sonai Sami, the God of the Dalits. Even

today, at a few places, the Dalits though they enter the Ayyanar

temples freely are reluctant to go near the sanctum. The shrine

for Sonai Sami is alloted exclusively for Dalits. During festivals, their

offerings are not easily offered to the main gods. One of the priests

said this is not an issue since everyone knows their place. It lookslike some practices that ought to have changed have not yet

changed.

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