A tutelary is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety and thus of guardianship.
Thaipusam or Thaipoosam is a Tamil Hindu festival celebrated on the first full moon day of the Tamil month of Thai coinciding with Pusam star. The festival is celebrated to commemorate the victory of Hindu god Murugan over the demon Surapadman using a vel, a divine spear granted by his mother, Parvati.
Mahabali, also known as Bali, Indrasenan, or Māveli, is a daitya king featured in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Prahlada, and a descendant of the sage Kashyapa. There are many versions of his legend, in ancient texts such as the Shatapatha Brahmana, Ramayana, Mahabharata, and several Puranas. According to Hindu literature, he was blessed to be one of the Chiranjivi, a group of seven immortals, by the Vamana avatar of Vishnu and reigns in the Sutaloka.
Theyyam is a Hindu religious ritual practiced in northern Kerala and some parts of Karnataka. Theyyam is also known as Kaḷiyāṭṭaṁ or Tiṟa. Theyyam consists of traditions, rituals and customs associated with temples and sacred groves of Malabar. The people of the region consider Theyyam itself as a channel to a god and they thus seek blessings from Theyyam.
Yakshinis or Yakshis are a class of female nature spirits in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain religious mythologies that are different from Devas and Asuras and Gandharvas or Apsaras. Yakshinis and their male counterparts, the Yakshas, are one of the many paranormal beings associated with the centuries-old sacred groves of India. Yakshis are also found in the traditional legends of Northeastern Indian tribes, ancient legends of Kerala, and in the folktales of Kashmiri Muslims. Sikhism also mentions yakshas in its sacred texts.
The nats are god-like spirits venerated in Myanmar and neighbouring countries in conjunction with Buddhism. They are divided between the 37 Great Nats who were designated that status by King Anawrahta when he formalized the official list of nats. Most of the 37 Great Nats were human beings who met violent deaths.
Alathiyur Hanuman Temple, also known as Alathiyur Perumthrikkovil or Hanuman Kavu is a famous Hindu temple located between the Ponnani River and the Bharathappuzha at Alathiyur near Tirur, Malappuram district, Kerala state, India. Although the main deity is Rama, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, Hanuman, believed to be an incarnation of Shiva and a devotee of Rama and a Chiranjivi, is as famous as the main deity in the temple. Also reside in the temple as sub-deities of equal importance: Lakshmana, Ganesha, Maha Vishnu, Durga, Bhadrakali, Ayyappan, and Naga deities. According to legend, the idol of Hanuman was consecrated 3000 years ago by Sage Vasishtha, one of the Saptarishis. Over the years, the custodians of the temple were the Alathiyur village Nambudiri Clan, the King of Vettathunad, and the Samuthiri of Kozhikode. Aval is the main offering in this temple. The main annual event here is the festival held on the days corresponding with the Stars of of Pooradam, Uthradam and Thiruvonam in the month of Thulam corresponding to mid-October to mid-November. The month of Karkidakam, corresponding to mid-July and mid-August, popularly called the Ramayana month, is usually crowded. The weekdays of Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday are also important as they are considered auspicious for Hanuman. The temple is administered by a Trust under the Malabar Devaswom Board, with the Samuthiri royalty as the Chief Trustee. This is believed to be the most important temple among the temples under the administration of the Malabar Devaswom Board.
Bhagavatī, is an Indian epithet of Sanskrit origin, used as an honorific title for goddesses in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hinduism, it is primarily used to address the goddesses Durga and Lakshmi. In Buddhism, it is used to refer to several Mahayana Buddhist female deities, like Cundā.
Arulmigu Murugan Temple, Thiruparankundram is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Murugan at Thiruparankundram, Tamilnadu, India. It is regarded as one of the "First Houses of Murugan". The temple uses rock-cut architecture and is believed to have been built by the Pandyas during the 6th century. According to legend, Murugan slayed the demon Surapadman and married his consort Devasena at the temple. Murugan is also said to have worshipped his father Shiva at the site as Parangirinathar.
Sacred groves of India are forest fragments of varying sizes, which are communally protected, and which usually have a significant religious connotation for the protecting community. Hunting and logging are usually strictly prohibited within these patches. Other forms of forest usage like honey collection and deadwood collection are sometimes allowed on a sustainable basis. NGOs work with local villagers to protect such groves. Traditionally, and in some cases even today, members of the community take turns to protect the grove. The introduction of the protected area category community reserves under the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002 has introduced legislation for providing government protection to community held lands, which could include sacred groves.
The Kodikkunnu Bhagavathy Temple or Kodikkunnu Ambalam is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Durga located in the village of Pallippuram, near Pattambi, in Palakkad district of Kerala, India.
The Tai folk religion, Satsana Phi or Ban Phi is the ancient native ethnic religion of Tai people still practiced by various Tai groups. Tai folk religion was dominant among Tai people in Asia until the arrival of Buddhism and Hinduism. It is primarily based on worshipping deities called Phi, Khwan and Ancestors.
Vadapalani Andavar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Muruga. It is located in Vadapalani, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was renovated in the 1920s and a Rajagopuram was built during that time. The temple has grown in popularity, which is believed to be in part due to the patronage of cinema stars.
Kataragama temple in Kataragama, Sri Lanka, is a temple complex dedicated to Buddhist guardian deity Kataragama deviyo and Hindu War God Murugan. It is one of the few religious sites in Sri Lanka that is venerated by the Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and the Vedda people. For most of the past millennia, it was a jungle shrine very difficult to access; today it is accessible by an all-weather road. The shrines and the nearby Kiri Vehera are managed by Buddhists, the shrines dedicated to Teyvāṉai and Shiva are managed by Hindus and the mosque by Muslims.
Kataragama is a pilgrimage town sacred to Hindu, Buddhist and indigenous Vedda people of Sri Lanka. People from South India also go there to worship. The town has the Kataragama temple, a shrine dedicated to Skanda Kumara also known as Kataragama deviyo. Kataragama is located in the Monaragala District of Uva province, Sri Lanka. It is 228 km (142 mi) southeast of Colombo. Although Kataragama was a small village in medieval times, today it is a fast-developing township surrounded by jungle in the southeastern region of Sri Lanka.
Kartikeya, also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha and Murugan, is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati and the brother of Ganesha.
Thirumittakode Anchumoorthi Temple is a Hindu temple equally associated with the deities Vishnu and Shiva. Temple is situated on the banks of the Bharathappuzha at Thirumittacode of Palakkad District in Kerala state in India. The five statues - one for Shiva and four Vishnu - are known here as Thirumattikodu five (Anchu) Moorthy Temple.
The early Dravidian religion constituted a non-Vedic form of Hinduism in that they were either historically or are at present Āgamic. The Agamas are non-Vedic in origin, and have been dated either as post-Vedic texts, or as pre-Vedic compositions. The Agamas are a collection of Tamil and Sanskrit scriptures chiefly constituting the methods of temple construction and creation of murti, worship means of deities, philosophical doctrines, meditative practices, attainment of sixfold desires and four kinds of yoga. The worship of tutelary deities and sacred flora and fauna in Hinduism is also recognized as a survival of the pre-Vedic Dravidian religion. Dravidian linguistic influence on early Vedic religion is evident; many of these features are already present in the oldest known Indo-Aryan language, the language of the Rigveda, which also includes over a dozen words borrowed from Dravidian. The linguistic evidence for Dravidian impact grows increasingly strong as one moves from the Samhitas down through the later Vedic works and into the classical post-Vedic literature. This represents an early religious and cultural fusion or synthesis between ancient Dravidians and Indo-Aryans that went on to influence Indian civilisation.
Tamil Hindus are the Tamil-speaking people who follow Hinduism.