KPVCD001 : "The Journey of the Clay-Horses" & "Kutiraiyetuppu" ©2001

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• Introduction

• "The Journey of the Clay-Horses"

• "Kutiraiyetuppu"

Introduction

Almost every village in Tamilnadu - with the exception of the extreme South of the state - has a temple or a shrine for the guardian god Aiyanar. The sacred place is normally situated outside the inhabited region of the village, and always near a water-source: river, lake, or - in the absence of both of these - a larger well.

Aiyanar is the main guardian of villages and fields, and he is responsible for the right amount of rain to fall, to ensure a good crop. The deity also sees to it that cattle and other domestic animals prosper and remain unaffected by diseases. At night, Aiyanar and his hordes ride around the village and its fields to keep away all sorts of disturbances and evil influences. In his temples and shrines, the god is surrounded by at least 20 other deities, his subordinates, who help him carry out his duties. One of  these deities - the identity of whom differs in the different regions of Tamilnadu, in Madurai it is mainly the "Dark God" Karuppan - is Aiyanar's main associate and has a higher rank in the pantheon than the rest of the gods. While Aiyanar is a decidedly vegetarian god who accepts only vegetarian offerings like sweet rice (pongal), bananas, coconuts, etc., his associate is always a ferocious, non-vegetarian deity who demands blood sacrifices, and to whom roosters and goats are offered.

In order to be able to guard the village by night, Aiyanar and his helpers need horses on which to ride. Thus, clay-horses are the most important offerings that devotees can present to the deities during the temple festivals which are held every few years. Consequently, the village-potters form the most important community for this cult. Especially in the region of Madurai, in the heart of Tamilnadu, they are so closely associated with Aiyanar and the surrounding deities, that most of the temples of these guardian gods belong to the potters, and they are also the priests.

"Kutiraiyetuppu" is the festival of the "Installation of Horses". Months before the festival devotees have given orders to the potters for the statues they want to dedicate to the gods. Besides the horses, these include votive-offerings depicting children, domestic animals, etc. which the families want to bring to the attention of the deities. - The night before the festival, all the statues are aligned on the  main place of the village in which they have been manufactured, but which is not necessarily near to the temple in which they are to be installed. The morning of the festival, these statues are consecrated (their "eyes are opened") and then carried in a long procession to the temple. When the statues have been successfully installed in the open within the temple-grounds, vegetarian offerings are prepared for Aiyanar and sacrfices are given to his associate, and the festival ends with a communal feast of the devotees. - After that, the clay-statues quickly sink into oblivion and are allowed to decay.  

 

KARUPPAN productions

M. Saravanan