Religion
Religion is the divinity or sanctity through which the human soul passes on the path to knowing God. Religions are theories that make up the set of principles, beliefs, and practices of existential, moral, and spiritual type questions. The doctrine that binds man strongly to the gods. The temple was built around three elements, the priest and the sacrifices (or offerings), which are expressions of the sacred concept. Today there are 4 religions in Sri Lanka,
Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam
The role of religion
On the one hand, the integration of a community group based on a common plan, on the other hand, is the function of religion to integrate a system of evaluation that allows one to develop a certain level of spiritual satisfaction through faith to overcome suffering. To achieve happiness.
All religions have their bases and foundations as historical stories called myths. Mythology is understood as the story that explains the origin of life, its justification for its status and its future plan. All religions abide by various streams of thought that try to explain who we are and why we came into the world.
Hindu religion
Hinduism is one of the oldest organised religions – dating back to the 6th century BC. Goes back 1400 to 1500 years. It is a very diverse and complex religion with millions of gods. Hindus have different basic beliefs and belong to many sects. Although it is the third largest religion in the world, Hinduism is primarily found only in India and Nepal.
The major texts of Hinduism are the Vedas (considered the most important), the Upanishads, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. These writings contain songs, mantras, philosophies, rituals, poems and stories from which Hindus base their beliefs.
Although Hinduism, which is said to have 330 million gods, is often misunderstood as polytheistic, it is said to have a “god” classic-Brahma. Brahma is believed to reside in every part of reality and existence throughout the universe. Brahma is impersonal and unknown and is often believed to exist in three distinct forms: Brahma – the Creator; Vishnu-protector; And Siva – the destroyer. Each of these “features” of Brahma is known by its many incarnations.
Goddesses
The goddesses are explained in the primary position because the goddesses are the push among the gods. From the earliest times of ethnic society, woman was revered and worshiped as a symbol of prosperity and strength. Ancient Tamil literature is full of names of goddesses and references to goddess. Worship Goddesses are of two types,
- Mother Goddesses
- Virgin deities
The tradition of worshiping goddesses is based on the fact that she is the mother of all human beings and the virgin on the basis of her immutable and immortal virginity. It is noteworthy that this tradition also comes from different countries of the world.
Worship of the Mother Goddess
The goddesses, commonly known as the ‘goddess’, are a combination of femininity and motherhood. In the early days, the rituals related to wealth were performed by women and later women were worshiped as a symbol of prosperity. This is what led to the emergence and growth of mother goddess worship.
‘Mariamma, who protects the earth from the rain; Gangaiyamma, who runs the river and protects the poisonous fungi; The goddesses were worshiped with a focus on prosperity; Are being worshiped. It is an Indian tradition to worship the great rivers like Cauvery, Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati as goddesses and mother goddesses.
Folk deities like Mariamman, Kaliamman, Muthalamman, Seelaikariyamman, Draupadiyamman, Nachiyamman, Pechiyamman, Kandiyamman, Veeruchinnammal, Uchchimakali, Manthayamman, Solayamman, Rakkachi, Ellayamman, Angalamman, Pechi, Isakkippattu, Pechi, Isakkippattu, etc. They are also classified as good deities and bad deities. Goddesses are considered and worshiped as incarnations and forms of power.
Worship of the Virgin Goddess
The majority of virgin worship is idolatry. The dictionary defines the word virgin as ‘a woman who is not married and does not lose her virginity’. The tradition of worshiping women who die naturally or murdered as virgins is widespread in Tamil Nadu. The dead virgin is believed to bring prosperity and security to her household, and she descends upon the virgins to bless them.
It is noteworthy here that the virgin deities are worshiped as the household deity, the tribal deity.
Seven virgins
It is customary to refer to the seven virgin deities. It is said that there are seven virgins, and seven virgin deities. Stories abound of seven virgin angels descending from heaven, bathing and helping the afflicted. There are temples of the Virgin in the open in the forest and along the hills. These are also worshiped in the forest as forest angels. Seven female figures are carved and worshiped on the same stone. There are no separate cults for these deities. They are worshiped in conjunction with other deities.
Worship of the male deity
It is safe to say that male deities were inferior to female deities. This may be due to the belief that female deities possess various powers and that male deities are less powerful. You may have heard the proverb ‘Do the work with power, otherwise leave Shiva’. It was created to honor the goddesses.
Some of the male deities are the primary deities and many are the ancillary deities to the primary deities. Auxiliary deities are also called ‘attendant deities’.
The primary deities
The deities who have their own temples and cults are described here as the primary deities. These are worshiped as deities of villages or guarding deities.
Worship of Ayyanar is widespread in Tamil Nadu, Sudalai Madan worship in southern Tamil Nadu and Annanmar Sami worship in the Kongu region. The festival is held annually according to the worship of the people of the area. There are unique forms of worship for each deity. Next to the above deities, deities like Madurai Veeran, Karuppa Sami and Muneeswaran are worshiped. In some villages these deities are worshiped in a special way. These are worshiped in conjunction with the primary deities.
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