Page:South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses.djvu/246

 patronized like the other orthodox Hindu temples, they are called srikoyiL Four varieties of the goddess Pidari are known from the records of Rajaraja I of the first quarter of the eleventh century A.D., viz., Punnaitturainangai, "the goddess (living on a river bank), in a grove of punnai trees," Poduvagai-ur-udaiyal, "the village deity common to all (classes)," Kuduraivattam-udaiyal " the deity surrounded by (clay) horses," and Tiruval-udaiyal, " the deity of the sacred banyan tree."

Worship of The worship in the shrines of village goddesses is generally these deities, performed by non-Brahmans. In the Chingleput and North Arcot districts are a class of priests known as Ochchans 1 who are exclusively devoted to service in Pidari temples. They say that they are Brahmanas of the Sakta creed and perform the worship according to the Tantrik ritual. Sometimes, but very rarely, Brahmanas also worship these fearful goddesses installed even within the sacred precincts of orthodox temples. 2 For example, Vattapirai-amman, " the mother who wears the circular crescent (on her head) " at Tiruvottiyur near Madras, is a goddess of this kind to whom animal sacrifices are offered on fixed days in the year. On such occasions it is stated that the Sudra priest takes the place of the usual Brahmana and an entrance opening directly into the outer courtyard of the temple kept closed on other days of the year is now thrown open for the goddess to receive animal sacrifices and worship from her Sudra or other devotees. After the annual festival is over, the goddess is purified. The buffalo sacrifices, which these village deities are generally fond of, indicate their connexion with MahishasuramardinI, the slayer of the buffalo-demon and with other similar Tantrik goddesses mentioned above.

Some of the ceremonies peculiar to the temples of the ceremonies, village goddesses, besides animal sacrifices, are (l) fire- walking, (2) swinging on the sidi with a hook passed through the skin during what is otherwise known as the chakra-puja, (3) lashing oneself with a whip, (4) piercing a metallic wire right through the tongue or through the sides of the mouth, (5) slashing at the breast and forehead with swords until the blood

1 Thurston's " Castes and Tribes," Vol. V, p.

2 Jn many important Siva temples of the South, I have observed processional images of village goddesses kept in a separate room and worshipped. It is gathered from the priests of the temples that before commencing any important festivals in the Siva temple, these images are carried in procession and the village deities are first appeased, the expense being met from the Siva temple.