On 9/10/08, Giancarlo Livraghi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > This isn't really a silly question. I am working on a book and there is a > page where I am quoting examples of myth, legend, folklore, fairy tales, > fiction or whatever where a picture or a statue or an "idol" or an "icon" > turns into a "living" person or some sort of "real thing". > <snip>
In most rural areas of Tamilnadu (and southern parts of Andhrapradesh and Karnataka - all southern entities of Untied States of India), there is this tradition of building small enclosures along the road that would lead to villages - called Ayyanaar Koils (Ayyanaar temples) - housing ayyanaar, his cohorts (but I have never seen consorts, which is mildy discosorting), horses, khaki clad policemen with hunter hats (who would, for some reason, will be at the feet of Ayyanaar) - all terracotta images with VERY colourful painting - in these degenerate times, instead of veg dyes/paints we use acrylic emulsions, however... Usually these Ayyanaar icons and their cohorts will be very big, look grotesque (so obviously male) - with bulging biceps, disproportionately abundant mustache, fiery red eyes and a HUGE sword or two. These are supposed to guard the village against murderers / burglers / fearsome phantom (just in case lee comes falking along the road) of the oprah etc. The way they are suppose to do this - is to get a life, unlike yours truly, in the dead of night and keep watch and slay the vermin, if one ever dares to enter the village. There are monthly and yearly (all based on lunar calendar) offerings (and prayers) made at the altar of ayyanaar - asking for protection - by the villagers. Of course there would be huge offerings of pongal (porridge made of rice, lentils and jaggery, which is gud) and other offierings, along with high pitched singing, and a lil' bit of inebriated dancing and all that... ayyanaar knows I miss all that. During moonlit days if one takes a walk, in the company of howling winds carrying distant conversations, chirps of the cicada and occasional barks of the dogs - and if suddenly these ayyanaar temples come into view, it could be surreal. There are very cute (and some horrible) stories and legends that abound about the deeds of ayyanaar - some are as grotesquly gripping like that of HP Lovecraft's, some intriguing and some xxx rated what with ayyanaar nabbing adultrous couples in act 2, etc etc. Hope this helps you, Giancarlo - even if it didn't, am happy that it helped me. Ha. ramjee. -- http://www.qsl.net/vu2sro/ The lyfe so short, the Craft so long to lerne. -- Geoffrey Chaucer (The Assembly of Fowles)
