Brahmanastratum of Vedic literature.
The Brahmanas are primarily manuals
describing the correct performance of
Vedic ritual sacrifices. Because they were
composed later than the actual Vedas,
each Brahmana is connected in theory
with one of the Vedas, to give it authority
as a sacred Vedic text. According to tradi-
tion, the Aiteraya Brahmana is associated
with the earliest of the Vedas, the Rg Veda.
Aiyanar
Southern Indian regional deity. In the state
of Tamil NaduAiyanar is an important vil-
lage deity, generally considered to be the
guardian of the village tank, bringer of rain,
and protector of the village. It is likely that
he is an indigenous deity who has been
assimilated into the Hindu pantheon.
Aiyanar is sometimes identified with
Aiyappa, although there are some discrep-
ancies between the two—Aiyanar is a deity
associated with the protection of villages,
whereas Aiyappa is associated with the
hills, the jungle, and the hunt. For further
information see Louis Dumont, “A Folk
Deity of Tamil Nad: Aiyanar, the Lord,” in T.
N. Madan (ed.), Religion in India, 1991.
Aiyappa
Hilltop deityof the southern Indian
state of Kerala, who at the local level is
often identified with Aiyanar, the Tamil
village deity. The most important of
Aiyappa’s shrines is at Shabari Malaiin
the hills of central Kerala, to which there
is an important pilgrimage each winter
in December and January. Aiyappa’s
strong associations with the hills and
the hunt make it likely that he was origi-
nally a local deity of the hills of Kerala,
but in more recent times he has been
assimilated into the larger Hindu pan-
theon as the sonof Shivaand Vishnu.
Although both of these gods are male,
Aiyappa’s conception is said to happen
when Vishnu takes the form of the
female enchantress Mohini, to beguile
the demons into parting with the
nectar of immortality. Because of his
parentage, Aiyappa is also called
Hariharaputra, “the son (putra) of Hari
(Vishnu) and Hara (Shiva).”
Due to his unusual conception,
Aiyappa is fated to kill a particularly
troubling buffalo demoness, Mahishi,
who has been given the boon that she
cannot be killed by anyone born from
the union of male and female. After his
birththe infant Aiyappa is abandoned
by a riverbank, and adopted by King
Rajashekhara, who names him
Manikanta. Manikanta’s stepmother is
very jealous of her stepson and wishes
to clear the path to the throne for her
own child. When Manikanta is twelve his
stepmother feigns an illness that she
says only tiger’smilk can cure. Everyone
is understandably reluctant to try to get
the tiger’s milk, but Manikanta finally
agrees to do so.
On his way to get the tiger’s milk,
Manikanta is met by messengers of
Shiva, who remind him that his life’s
ultimate purpose is to kill Mahishi. After
a long struggle, Manikanta dispatches
the demon, but while he is dancing on
the she-buffalo’s body, another female
figure rises out of it. She identifies her-
self as Lila, and wants to marry
Manikanta, but as a celibate student he
does not desire this. He appeases LilaAiyanar
A shrine to Aiyanar, a regional deity in southern
India who is the protector of villages.