Iravan

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Iravan / Aravan
Aravan worshipped at Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore
Devanagari	इरावान्
Tamil script	அரவாண்
Affiliation	Nāga
Consort	Krishna in his form of Mohini

Iravan (Sanskrit: इरावान्, Irāvāṇ), also known as Iravat (Sanskrit: इरावत्) and Iravant, is a character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata, who is worshipped as a South-Indian village god and has prominence among the Indian third gender and transvestites. He was the son of the Pandava prince Arjuna—a protagonist of the Mahabharata— and Naga princess Ulupi. A minor figure in the Mahabharata, Iravan plays a greater role in two South Indian cults. He is himself the central god of the Kuttantavar cult, which is the name most commonly given to him in that cult. He also plays a major role in the cult of Draupadi, another wife of Arjuna and the chief heroine of the Mahabharata. Iravan is also known as Aravan (Tamil: அரவாண், Aravāṇ) in both these cults.

The Mahabharata portrays Iravan as dying a heroic death in the 18-day Kurukshetra War, which is the epic's main subject (and referred to hereafter as the Mahabharata war). However, the South Indian cults transmit a legend of Aravan's self-sacrifice to the goddess Kali, to ensure her favour and the victory of the Pandavas in the war. The Kuttantavar cult focuses on the first of three boons granted to Aravan by the god Krishna, in honour of his willing self-sacrifice. Aravan requested that he be married before his death. Krishna satisfied this boon in his female form Mohini. In Koovagam, Tamil Nadu this incident is re-enacted in an 18-day festival, first by the marriage of the Indian third gender members - "Ali"s and transvestite "Aravani"s to the god Aravan, and then by their widowhood after ritual re-enactment of his sacrifice.

The Draupadi cult emphasizes the third boon: Krishna allowing Aravan to witness the entire duration of the Mahabharata war—through the eyes of his severed head, despite his sacrifice. In an 18-day festival, the severed head of Aravan is hosted on a post to witness the ritual re-enactment of the Mahabharata war. The severed head of Aravan is a common motif in Draupadi temples, often it is a portable wooden head, sometimes it even has its own shrine in the temple complex, or is placed on the corners of temple roofs as a guardian against spirits. Aravan is worshipped in the form of his severed head and is believed to cure disease and induce pregnancy in childless women.

[edit] Etymology and other names

According to the Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary, the name Iravan is formed from the root irāvat (इरावत्),^[1] and is the name of the son of Arjuna (as mentioned in the scripture Vishnu Purana). In turn, the root irāvat is derived from irā (इरा)—closely linked with iḍā (इडा)—meaning "possessing food", "endowed with provisions" or, by extension, "comfortable" (as used in the Mahabharata and the Rig and Atharva vedic scriptures).^[2]

Alf Hiltebeitel suggests that the Sanskrit name Iravan or Iravant is derived from iḍā-vant, "one who possessed iḍā". Madeleine Biardeau describes religious use of the word iḍā as reference to an "oblatory substance consumed by the participants from which comes all fecundity of the sacrifice". Thus, in the Mahabharata, Iravant means sacrificial victim. Iḍā is also used elsewhere to denote a substance that Devas (demi-gods) and Asuras (demons) vie for.^[3]

Iravan is generally known as Aravan in South India. Aravan is revered as a deity in two southern Indian Hindu cults: the Kuttantavar cult dedicated solely to Aravan and the cult of Draupadi, Aravan's stepmother and Arjuna's wife. In his cult, Aravan is also known as Kuttantavar, also spelt as Kuttandar, Khoothandavar and Koothandavar. The name Kuttantavar originates from the legend of Kuttantavar killing the demon Kuttacuran.

The Tamil name Aravan is popularly believed to be derived from the word aravu (snake). Aravan’s association with snakes is also noticed in his iconography.^[3] Aravan is often depicted with a cobra hood over his crown, cobra heads sprouting through the crown, or a snake's body emerging from behind the crown.^[4]

[edit] Origins of the legend

Iravan first appears as a minor character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata as the son of Arjuna, the chief hero of the epic, and his Naga (serpent) wife Ulupi. Although the original Sanskrit version of the Mahabharata records Iravan's (Sanskrit name) death during the 18-day Mahabharata war, the Tamil versions discuss Aravan's (Tamil name) ritual self-sacrifice to the goddess before the war. Hiltebeitel relates this to the South Indian glorification of "heroic" self-mutilation and self-decapitation before the Goddess. He also finds parallels in the Telugu legend of Barbarika's sacrifice.^[5] Barbarika is described as the son of Iravan's cousin, Ghatotkacha in the Mahabharata.

The first account of Aravan's sacrifice is found in Parata Venpa—the earliest surviving Tamil version of the Mahabharata—by Peruntevanar (9th century). The tale is later retold by Villiputuralvar in his 14th century Makaparatam and by Nallapillai in the 18th century.^[6][7] The legend is also attested in the text Khoothanvar Sthala Purana, associated with the shrine of Kuttantavar.^[8]

Better known in South India, Aravan Kalappali or Aravan Kalabali ("Sacrifice of Aravan in the Battlefield") is a popular theme of Terukuttu (Theru-k-koothu), the traditional art form of folk theatre of Tamil Nadu. The drama Aravan Kalappali tells the story of Aravan, who is suited as a sacrifice to the goddess Kali so the Pandavas (Arjuna and his brothers) can win the Mahabharata war. The Aravan Kalappali is annually staged in Melattur, Kodukizhi and Yervadi villages in various forms of the folk-theatre Koothu. It is celebrated in Karambai on the 18th day of the festival (April-May), to please Draupadi, the stepmother of Aravan and wife of Arjuna.^[9]

Aravan's head symbolizes not only self-sacrifice, but also regeneration and continuity, because of his ability to see the war after his sacrifice.^[10] In fact, Iramacamippulavar's Merkolvilakka Kkatai Akaravaricai—which narrates the tale of Aravan—ends with the conclusion that Aravan continues to live on as a folk hero in Tamil Nadu, because he embodies "the ideal of self-sacrifice".^[11] Aravan is considered "the symbol of the price war exacts, a representative of countless innocent youth[s] who[m] [sic.] their mothers reluctantly send to the battlefield to be consumed by the insatiable Goddess of War."^[9] Indologist David Shulman considers Aravan's sacrifice to be a manifestation of the serpent sacrifice in the Tamil epic tradition.^[12]

[edit] Mahabharata

The birth of Iravan is mentioned in Book 6 of the Mahabharata—Bhisma Parva (the Book of Bhisma)—while the marriage of his parents is mentioned in Book 1—Adi Parva (the Book of Beginnings).^[13] Arjuna, the third Pandava brother, is exiled from Indraprastha (the capital city of the Pandava kingdom) to go on a one-year pilgrimage, as a penance for violating the terms of his marriage to Draupadi, the Pandava brothers' common wife. Arjuna reaches the north-east region of present-day India and falls in love with Ulupi, a widowed Naga (serpent) princess. The two get married and have a son named Iravan; later, Arjuna proceeds with his pilgrimage, leaving Iravan and Ulupi behind in Nagaloka, the abode of the Nagas.^[14] Iravan is described to be born parakshetre, literally "in a region belonging to another person" or as Hiltebeitial interprets it - “upon the wife of another”. Iravan grew up in Nagaloka, protected by his mother, but was rejected by his maternal uncle due to the latter's hatred of Arjuna. Later, Iravan went to Indraloka, the abode of the god Indra - the divine father of Arjuna, to meet Arjuna, where Arjuna requested his assistance him in the Kurukshetra War.^[15][16]

A scene from the Mahabharata war

Thus Iravan reached the battlefield of Kurukshetra to assist his father and Pandavas against their cousin opponents the Kauravas. On the first day of war, Iravan fought a duel with Srutayush, a Ksatriya king - the rebirth of the daitya (demon) Krodhavasa. Srutayush was later killed by Arjuna.^[17][18] On the seventh day of war, Iravan also defeated Vinda and Anuvinda, the princes of Avanti. They were killed later in the war by Arjuna.^[19][20]

On the eighth day of the war, Iravan combated the princes of Gandhara, the sons of Suvala, the younger brothers of Shakuni - the maternal uncle of the Kauravas. The brothers Gaya, Gavaksha, Vrishava, Charmavat, Arjava, and Suka attacked Iravan together supported by the Kaurava army, but Iravan's army of Nagas (serpents) slew the opponent army. Iravan, the "chastiser of foes"- versed in illusion, slew five of the brothers in a sword battle. Vrishava alone escaped death.^[21][22]

Agitated, the eldest Kaurava Duryodhana ordered the Rakshasa (giant) Alamvusha or Alambusha, the son of the giant Rishyasringa, to kill Iravan. Iravan as well as Alambusha used illusion in combat. Alambusha attacked Iravan with a bow; Iravan broke Alambusha's bow and sliced the giant in several pieces, but Alambusha's body was reformed again. Then, Iravan assumed the form of the serpent Shesha (Ananta) and was surrounded by his serpent army to protect him. Alambusha assumed the form of Garuda (Suparna or eagle-man), the eternal foe of the serpents and devoured the serpent army. Finally, Alambusha cut Iravan's head and killed him. Alambusha was later killed in the war by Ghatotkacha, the cousin of Iravan.^[15][21][23]

[edit] Tamil Legends

[edit] Choice as the sacrificial victim

Iravan's ritual sacrifice of himself was offered to the goddess Kali (pictured), to ensure her favour and victory in war for his father, Arjuna, and uncles—the Pandavas.

The earliest Tamil legend of Aravan in Parata Venpa as written by Peruntevanar, is discussed below.^[24] Kalappali ("sacrifice to the battlefield"), a term found only in the Tamil version of Mahabharata, is a ritual performed before the battle to ensure victory. Just before the Mahabharata war, Duryodhana - the leader of the Kauravas and opponent of the Pandavas, learnt from the Pandava Sahadeva, an expert astrologer, that the new moon day, which is a day hence, was the best time for a Kalappali, and thus convinced Aravan to be the sacrificial victim.^[7]

Lord Krishna, a close friend and the guide of the Pandavas heard this and devised a plan to ensure that Aravan is sacrificed by Pandavas, rather than the Kauravas. Krishna listed four candidates suitable for the sacrifice: Shalya, who was on the side of Kauravas, Arjuna-the Pandava commander, Aravan and he himself. Then Krishna finally narrowed down to Aravan. Krishna suggested Yudhishtira-the eldest of the Pandavas, to sacrifice Aravan to goddess Kali as a part of ayudha-puja ("worship of the weapons"). Aravan agreed to perform the Kalappali on behalf of the Pandavas, but said he had agreed for it to Duryodhana before.^[25][26] In Villiputuralvar's story, Krishna offered to be sacrificed first, but then Aravan volunteered to replace him; there is no mention of Duryodhana in this version of the legend.^[27] In other accounts, Aravan is sacrificed in order to counteract the Kauravas' sacrifice of a white elephant.^[27] In the village tradition of Neppattur, Thanjavur district, Aravan is described to be so strong that he could slay all Duryodhanas at once, thus preventing any war from happening. Krishna prescribed the human sacrifice of Aravan so that "the greater sacrifice of the war can take place".^[28]

In a Terukkuttu performance when Aravan agrees to a sacrifice, he is compared to Puru and Bhishma, characters in the Mahabharata who gave up their youth and sexual fulfilment for the sake of their respective fathers—Yayati and Santanu. Krishna approached Aravan's mother Ulupi (Nagakanni in Tamil) for her consent. She strongly opposed the idea, but finally relented when Aravan told her that he now belonged to Kali alone. Krishna tricked the gods Surya (the Sun) and Chandra (the Moon) to move the new moon day a day earlier so that Aravan would make the initial sacrifice of flesh on behalf of the Pandavas, only making the rest offering on behalf of Duryodhana the next day, there by fulfilling a prior promise made to Duryodhana.^[24][25][26]

[edit] The three boons

In folk tradition, Krishna is believed to have assumed the form of Mohini (pictured) and married Aravan.

In Parata Venpa, Aravan asked Krishna to grant him the boon of a heroic death in the battlefield at the hands of a great hero. Though Parata Venpa mentions only one boon, usually three boons are associated with Aravan. According to Hiltebeitel, this indicates an effort to merge the legend of the sacrifice with the original Sanskrit account of Aravan's death at the hands of Alambusha-called Alampucan in Tamil.^[24] The second boon was that Aravan was allowed to watch the battle for a “few days” and to die in battle after killing enemies, appears in Villiputuralvar's work, though it does not clarify if the head of Aravan, survived after his death on the eighth day, to see the rest of the battle. In both the cults, Aravan is believed to have been granted the boon to see the entire 18-day war.^[29] The third boon was that Aravan should be married before the sacrifice so that he could get the right of cremation and funerary offerings (bachelors were buried), is found only in the folk cults. To fulfill this wish in the Kuttantavar cult myth, Krishna turned into Mohini, the enchantress, married Aravan, and spent the night with him.^{[24][25][26][30]} In other legends, Krishna arranged some other pre-war marriages. In the Thajavur tradition, the marriage of Aravan and Mohini is unknown. It depicts Aravan as married to Paravanacciyal, the daughter of Krishna's younger brother Satyaki.^[31]

Hiltebeitel theorizes that the marriage boon and the heroic death boon originated from the Kuttantavar cult, while the last boon myths originates from the Draupadi cult. The marriage ceremony is enacted by eunuchs and the heroic death is also ritualized in the Kuttantavar cult. In the Draupadi cult, a clay head of Aravan is fixed on a post to witness the ritual proceedings of the 18-day war re-enactment. Draupadi cult texts from Thajavur concentrate only on the second boon, omitting the other two.^[32][33]

The first and second boon contradict each other, but the cults have their own explanations. The Kuttantavar cult explains the contradictions by the belief that Aravan's body regrouped after the sacrifice and then he died a heroic death on the eighth day. However, the Draupadi cult disagrees, believing that Aravan watched the whole war with his severed head. A third view compiles the other two, believing that Aravan regrouped his body, was decapitated on the eighth day, and then watched the rest of the war as the severed head.^[32]

After his wishes were granted, Aravan was ready for the sacrifice. At the Kurukshetra battlefield, Yudhishtira worshiped goddess Kali in his "hall of weapons" as Aravan removed his epaulets and chest plate, and then cut his body into 32 pieces - a cut for each of his bodily perfections, which are offered by Yudhishtira to Kali. In a Terukuttu performance, this is depicted by covering the Aravan actor by a white cloth from the neck down. It is also believed that Aravan's spirit may possess the actor at this point. Sometimes, a chicken is sacrificed on stage in a Terukuttu performance to signify the sacrifice.^[31][34] In Villiputuralvar's retelling, an elephant is offered with Aravan to the goddess.^[27]

Aravan, after being stripped of his flesh, remained with the head and skeleton. Krishna advised him to pray to the Naga Shesha (Adi-Shesha), his grandfather and father of Ulupi. Adi-Shesha coiled himself around Aravan and became his flesh, restoring his body.^[35] To fulfil the second wish, Krishna helped Alambusha by sending the true Garuda or by advising Alambusha to assume the form of Garuda by a heavenly voice. By sight of Garuda - his perennial "eagle" adversary, Shesha fearfully uncoiled and left Aravan unprotected, causing the beheading of Aravan by Alambusha.^[36]

[edit] Aravan to Kuttantavar

A local legend in Koovagam describes the transition of Aravan to Kuttantavar. After the war when the Pandavas boosted vanquishing the Kauravas, Krishna asked Aravan – the sole witness of the entire war – who really won the war. Aravan replied that he saw two things: Krishna's discus chopping all enemy heads and his conch-shell collecting the blood, thus giving all the credit of victory to Krishna. Before the agitated Bhima could wound Aravan, Krishna ordered Aravan’s head to be dropped in the river Caraparika. Aravan assumed the form of a child and was found by the king of Chandragiri, a city on the river bank. The child cried “Kuva Kuva” when picked by the king, giving the name Kuvakkam (Koovagam) to the place. The king gave the child the name Carapalan (“reed-child”). Carapalan grew up as a man and killed the demon Kuttacuran, who had wounded his adopted father in battle. Goddess Draupadi – identified with the supreme Goddess - blessed Carapalan with the name Kuttantavar – the slayer of Kuttacuran and granted him a temple in Koovagam. Other accounts give the credit of finding the child to the queen Kirupanci of Chandragiri.^[37] Another variant of the legend omits mention of the temple or the king of Chandragiri. It mentions that the demon Kuttacuran was granted a boon that he will killed by a person having only a head and who was born from water. So to kill his demon, Vishnu – who incarnated as Krishna, informed the gods that Aravan will kill the demon. Accordingly the head of Aravan fell in the river, transformed into a child called Kuttan –“born from water”, and killed the demon.^[38]

[edit] Worship

[edit] Following and temples

Kuttantavar cult has its strongest following in the districts of Cuddalore District, Villupuram District, Thiruvannamalai District and Vellore District of Tamil Nadu.^[39] The Draupadi cult has spread in the above districts as well as the former Chingleput district (Chengalpattu is not a district now, but comes under Kanchipuram district) and her temples seen in Thanjavur district to southern Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states. The temples of Kuttantavar are fewer than the Draupadi temples restricted to the belt from Cuddalore District, Villupuram District to Coimbatore, thirty-two of them being the most important and Koovagam being the foremost among them. The thirty-two temples are:^[40]

The severed head of Aravan is a common motif in Draupadi's temples; often it is a portable wooden head, sometimes even has its own shrine in the temple complex.^[43] Aravan’s head is placed on the corners and edges of the temple roof in Draupadi temples. As a Pey or Bhuta (spirit), Aravan acts as a guardian of the temple and the patukalam ceremony from other spirits.^[44] Patukalam, in the Draupadi cult refers to the symbolic ground where the Mahabharata war is re-enacted in ritual. In Thajavur, Kumbhakonam and Pattukkotai taluks, a permanent Aravan head is enshrined in a mandapa or within a niche of temples. The largest known Aravan head is found at the Hajiyar Teru temple in Kumbahkonam.^[45]

[edit] Rituals of the Kuttantavar cult

The chief temple of Aravan is at Koovagam,^[46] Tamil Nadu, where he is worshipped as deity Kuttantavar. The legend of the marriage of Aravan and Krishna in his female form as Mohini, and Mohini-Krishna's widowhood after Aravan's sacrifice, forms the central theme of an eighteen-day annual festival in the Tamil month of Cittirai (April-May) at Koovagam. The legend of Koovagam also speaks about how Krishna lamented as a widow after Aravan's sacrifice the next day and then turned into his masculine original form.

The Koovagam festival sees Alis (eunuchs) or hijras and transvestites who call themselves as Aravanis and re-enact the marriage of Aravan with Mohini. The Alis participate in similar Kuttandavar festivals of lesser importance in other villages like Tevanampattanam, Tiruvetkalam, Adivarahanatttum and Kottatai in Tamil Nadu and Pillaiyarkuppam in Puducherry. Though Alis have been part of this festival for long years, from the 1960s a large number of Alis, come to the Koovagam Tamil Ali communities from across India, especially from Tamil Nadu, and from as far away as Singapore.^{[29][47][48][49]} About 25,000 transvestites, including the Alis, visit the festival.^[50]

An image of Aravan as Kuttantavar paraded around Koovagam, before his ritual sacrifice re-enactment

During the first six days of the Kuttantavar festival, Aravan’s head (Cami) is "danced" around the streets of Kuvagam, with music and fireworks accompanying it. Each household offers a puja of lamp-waving, coconuts etc,. Formerly goats and chickens were sacrificed. However, animal sacrifice is now banned by the state government. On the thirteenth day, Aravan‘s "soul" is ritually transferred from his head to a pot and the head is repainted. On the 14th day evening, the standing of the post–"kampam niruttatal"–a twenty foot high post is erected on a processional chariot to support Kuttantavar’s head and body. After the post setting, young and middle-aged men–farmers and traders from Koovagam and surrounding villages–who have vowed to marry Aravan, purchase talis–a pendant with a turmeric piece in the centre that is considered a mark of a married woman. The priest–representing Aravan–ties the talis around their necks in the sanctum.^[51] Sometimes married men and men afflicted with disease, dressed as women, "marry" Aravan in the festival to please the deity.^[47]

The Alis arrive in increasing numbers from the 14th through the 16th day. Late on the 15th night, Alis dance with the flower-karakam of Aravan, which is believed to possess his power. Early on the 16th day, the "soul" of Aravan is transferred back to his repainted head and “cuvami tirukkam tirattal” (opening of the god’s holy eyes) ceremony is performed with painting of the pupils. The head is then paraded around the village on a portable platform called ketayam. The Ketayam is accompanied by two other platform-chariots, one holding the chest plate and epaulets of Aravan – without which the festival is considered incomplete and the other carries his flower-karakam. The ceremony ends with an offering of roosters, which are killed by throwing them off the temple roof since their sacrifice by cutting is banned. Kuttantavar’s head is fixed on the post with his large epaulets and chest plate fixed to his body made of straw and garlanded. The image is paraded across the village as it is prepared for his kalappali and eighth day death rituals. At noon his chariot turns north, symbolizing his kalappali facing the ceremonial Kurushestra battle-field and his entry onto the battlefield to die at the hands of Alambusha. On arrival in Kurukshetra the garlands are removed, indicating the removal of his flesh and his defeat on the eighth day of war.^[51]

Aravanis – the "brides" of Aravan, mourn his death

Then the chariot turns towards the weeping ground “alukalam”. The “widowed” Alis with their hair dishevelled, ritually lament the death of their “husband” as he performed kalappali. The garlands from the Aravan’s image are thrown at devotees to indicate his losing vitality. At “alukalam”, the Alis mourn Aravan's death by breaking their bangles, beating their breasts and discarding their bridal finery, like the legendary Mohini-Krishna. They cut their talis–which are flung on a post called vellikkal, and after a bath, wear white saris as a mark of their widowhood. The Alis wear these signs of widowhood for a month, before they endow themselves with bangles and coloured saris again.^[51]

At mid-afternoon, as the chariot reaches atukalam, Kuttantavar is stripped to his skeletal straw body. Most Alis have left and men wedded to Aravan break their talis and bangles and perform widowing rites (vellikkal rites) before the image of Aravan, while a paratiyar (Mahabharata-reciter) tells the story of the culmination of the war, indicating Aravan fulfilling his wish of seeing the war. Hiltebeitel suggests that while the Alis weep for Aravan’s kalappali, the villagers weep at the death of Aravan’s head at the end of the war as an ancestor.^[51]

At the atukalam, sacrificial cooked “blood rice” is distributed in honour of the deceased Kuttantavar. This rice is believed to make childless women conceive. After the death rites at dusk, the chariot is now considered a “death house” and the dead head is removed from its skeletal body frame, covered by a cloth and paraded around the village as in a funeral. Then the head is taken to the Kali temple, where is it “revived”. In a ceremony called vitaiyatti (the return dance), the head (cami) is danced around the village till early morning on the 17th day. On the 18th day, the head is decorated and paraded again and in the evening, coronated in the sanctum as Yudhishtira (Dhramaraja).^[51]

Francis’s account of 1906 records men dressed as women, from Vanniyar and other Sudra castes, becoming part of the festival – a "popular feast of Sudras", but there is no mention of Alis. It also records that the ritual marriage of the men to Kuttantavar and their widowhood occurred on the last day of the festival, unlike the present form of the festival which has the marriage ceremony on the 14th day and the widowhood ceremony on the 16th day.^[52]

[edit] Rituals of the Draupadi cult

In Draupadi cult festivals, the actor playing Draupadi and other women lament the death of the heroes, including Aravan, at patukalam - the ritual re-enactment of the Mahabharata war.^[53] The “Aravan’s sacrifice” play is usually performed on the 16th day before patukalam day in the 18-day Draupadi cult festival, like in Irunkal. In Singapore, it is uasually performed on the new moon day in the Tamil month of Purattaci (Sept-Oct).^[54] In shorter 10 to 12 day festivals, kalappali is performed on the night of the culmination day of the festival, as done in and around Chennai–Sowcarpet, Alantur and Punamalli-and Bangalore. While wooden Aravan heads are used in temples in Chennai and Pondicherry, in rural areas the head and body of Aravan is made of clay, both of which are destroyed at the end of the festival. The place, where the kalappali is performed, is pronounced to be the symbolic battle field of Kurukshetra.^[55] At Tindivanam, a headless clay and bamboo body of Aravan is modelled, showing him in a heroic position, kneeling on his left knee and holding a bow. A clay head is then ceremoniously fixed, making the effigy about 7 feet tall. The pujari (priest) then slices bits of head with a sword and cuts a pumpkin, symbolizing the 32 pieces of Aravan’s body. Aravan is then fed his “own blood”, represented by blood of goat sacrificed to Aravan before. Aravan’s body is then covered with a blood-stained white cloth neck down. Blood soaked rice is then sprinkled on Aravan’s face. It is believed eating this rice from Aravan’s face induces pregnancy in women.^[56]

In Cattiram Karuppur near Kumbhakonam, a 25-feet long lying clay Aravan statue is made. The story of Aravan re-enacted, with an actor believed to be possessed by Kali, cutting a rooster over Aravan effigy’s neck, symbolizing the sacrifice. Then blood soaked rice is distributed to devotees, especially childless women.^[57] Similar rituals associated with a symbolic sacrifice and the blood rice are performed in Melaccari,^[58] Alantur, Punamalli and Villupuram. At Alantur and Punamalli, a goat is sacrificed, in Cudalore, Patirikkuppam and Villupuram, a cock is sacrificed.^[59] In Cuddalore, Villupuram and Thanjavur districts, an elevated Aravan head is erected to watch over the patukalam and the symbolic Mahabharata war re-enactment.^[39][60]

[edit] See also

• Koovagam
• Khatushyamji

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] Bibliography

• Bolle, Kees W. (August, 1983). "A World of Sacrifice". History of Religions (The University of Chicago Press) 23 (1): 37–63. http://www.jstor.org/pss/1062317. 

• Ganguli, Kisari Mohan (1883–1896). Mahabharata. http://www.mahabharataonline.com/translation/index.php.  (English)

• Hiltebeitel, Alf (1988). "Aravan's Sacrifice". The cult of Draupadi : Mythologies: from Gingee to Kuruksetra. 1. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226340463. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=ui5gju8MwDUC&pg=PA317. 

• Hiltebeitel, Alf (1991). "Aravan's battlefield sacrifice to Kali". The cult of Draupadi : On Hindu ritual and the goddess. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226340487. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=T5waGURCi1QC&pg=PA283. 

• Hiltebeitel, Alf (May 1995). "Dying Before the Mahabharata War: Martial and Transsexual Body-Building for Aravan". The Journal of Asian Studies (Association for Asian Studies) 54 (2): 447–473. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2058746. 

• Hiltebeitel, Alf (1999). "Babarīka, Arāvaṇ, Kūttāṇṭavar: Furthering the Case of the Severed Head". Rethinking India's oral and classical epics: Draupadī among Rajputs, Muslims, and Dalits. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226340517. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=MMFdosx0PokC&pg=PA414. 

• Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 0842-60822-2. 

• Mutaliyār, Cūḷai Municāmi (1907). Aravān kaḷapali nāṭakam. Cennai: Caṇmukam Piras.  (Tamil)

• Shulman, David (November 1978). "The Serpent and the Sacrifice: An Anthill Myth from Tiruvārūr". History of Religions (The University of Chicago Press) 18 (2): 107–137. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1062582. 

[edit] External links

• Koovagam festival
• BBC coverage of the Koovagam festival

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