Under the sixty first series of its online exhibition by Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, on Thursday presented the “Votive Terracotta Horse- AIYYANAR DEITY” situated in the Kumhar Para open air exhibition of Manav Sangrahalaya has been presented online with its basic information and photographs and videos.
About this exhibition, Praveen Kumar Mishra, Director, IGRMS said that – Ayyanar is a village God worshipped by the folk people in Tamil Nadu. He is primarily worshiped as a guardian deity who protects the villages from unwanted external elements and threats. The temples of Aiyanar are usually flanked by gigantic and colorful statues the God and his companions riding Horses and Elephants.
The display of votive figures and clay idols in an Aiyanar temple reflects the social hierarchy that exists in the villages. The Gods are ranked according to the social and economical hierarchy in the village. The Gods with highest position are vegetarian, while those considered with lower rank are believed to be non-vegetarian. An Ayyanar temple is often not a building, but assemblages of one or more figures revered as the ancestral and local deities belonging to various groups of communities.
About the Aiyyanar Deity, Garima Anand Dubey, Museum Associate told that – Museum attempted to honour the living legends that preserved this ancient tradition of producing terracotta offerings from Puddukottai District of Tamil Nadu with an installation of an AIYYANAR complex in its premises. Seven artists from the village were invited by the museum to demonstrate the ritual art and to enhance and extend the span of the existing Aiyyanar complex with their proficient hands.