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 the ever-youthful. When in later ages asceticism came to be a much respected way of life, and ascetics resorted to hills for peaceful meditation, he also became the ascetic god. Coming down from ages when man had not yet invented clothes, he is in many of his manifestations a naked god. Worship of the gods was in ancient days inseparably associated with ritual dancing, as is still the case with primitive people all over the world; and the ancient worship of Murugan was the dance called Veṛiyāḍal or Vēlanāḍal, performed by his priest, who, like his god, was called, Vēlan, for both of them carried the weapon of the hill region, the Vēl, a spear, which in the stone age had a stone spear head and, on the discovery of iron, had a head made of that metal.

The worship of Murugan included the offering of cooked rice and meat for the removal of ills caused by that god. 'O!' old vēlan, intoxicated with the spirit of Murugan! control the anger and help us. I beg one favour of you. If you offer along with many-coloured boiled rice the meat of a red sheep specially killed for the purpose, after marking her forehead (with its blood), will the god of the hill high as the sky who wears a garland eat the bali (and be pleased)?

In later times when religion in India developed noble concepts, attained giddy heights of supreme devotion and breathed the soul-satisfying atmosphere of philosophical insight, highly advanced associations