Conclusion

The folk religious rituals are deeply entrenched in Tamil society and expressed in its popular sentiment. In 2003, the then CM Jayalalithaa strictly implemented the Tamil Nadu Animals and Birds Prevention of Sacrifice Act which widely hurt the popular Tamil sentiment and it backfired on her; she lost all 39 seats in the 2004 Parliamentary elections; and, subsequently led to the repeal of the act in 2004.

Notes

1 Tamil words Keda, Vettu, and Virundhu mean young-buck/bull, sacrifice, and feast respectively.

2 One of the Denotified Communities and ex-Criminal Tribes of Tamil Nadu.

3 One of the Scheduled Castes, erstwhile ‘untouchables’ of Tamil Nadu.

4 Tamil word meaning ‘informal village council’.

5 Prostration with beating the chest by hands. When the people fail to get justice through pancayattu or any other means against the wrongdoer, they resort to this method of justice.

6 Unique tropical montane evergreen forests of the southern Western Ghats.

7 Tamil word, meaning: energised talisman, predominantly cylindrical in shape.

8 Agamas revolve around the tradition of temple rituals. The word Agama means tradition. The agamas are the body of ancient texts which deal with rituals and ceremonies to be observed in the temples. The agamas deal with rules as to how each iconic representation of divinity is to be conceived, constructed, and worshipped.

9 Observed by the author.

10 The chief male deity among the Tamil folk deities is Aiyan or Ayyanar. Ayyanar is represented by a human form in a sitting posture, with red skin, a crown on his head and pearls in his locks. On his forehead, he wears the sacred ashes, pearls on his ears and neck, and a sort of ribbon on his breast. The arms, hands, feet, and the whole body are full of jewels and ornaments. In his right hand he holds a sceptre, to indicate that he is the chief among village gods. Accordingly, outside every village in southern India, one may see the shrine of Ayyanar, surrounded with rude clay or terra-cotta figures of horses and other animals often of life size on which he is supposed to ride when keeping guard. His image is roughly carved, sometimes in a sitting posture and other times on horseback.

11 Observed by the author.

12 Interview with Kodiveeran, on 29August 2019.

13 Sthala purana is the Sanskrit word where ‘Sthala’ means any place or region; and ‘Purana’ means story. The text is associated with the story of any place, or historical significance of the temple; or sacredness of the site.

14 Observed by the author.

15 Tamil word which means consecration ceremony of Hindu temples.

16 Interview with Chokalingam on 29 August 2019.

17 Tamil word, meaning: pilgrimage on foot, undertaken in fulfilment of a vow.

18 Kavadi is one of the offerings made to Lord Muruga by his pious devotees. In Kavadi the devotee carries his offerings to the lord Muruka which weighs up to 30 KGs.

19 See Figures 25.1 and 25.2 for comparison. NTK’s illustration (Figure 25.1) of Lord Murukan downloaded from https://www.naamtamilar.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/naam-tamilar-katchi -veeratamilar-munnani-seeman-tamil-murugan-painting-drawing-hd-wallpaper-scaled.jpg

Raja Ravi Verma’s painting of Lord Muruga( Murugan in folk name) (Figure 25.2) downloaded from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Murugan_by_Raja_Ravi_Varma.jpg Ravi Verma has used the name Muruga for Murukan.

20 Election Commission of India. https://eci.gov.in/files/file/13680-tamil-nadu-general-legislative -election-2021/

21 Tamil words, meaning: historical and ancient monumental temples, which are mostly constructed during the medieval period empires.

22 A social group of Tamil Nadu. At present, they are included under the Scheduled Castes category.

23 (i) Less than Rs. 10,000 as annual income, (ii) between Rs. 2 lakhs and Rs. 10 lakhs, (iii) above Rs.

10 lakhs.

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