140 Wilher Theodore Elmore 



is the personification of the energy of the Hindu god in the per- 

 son of his wife. The Dravidian Sakti, however, is any female 

 ghost which has evil powers. Moreover the Sakti worship of the 

 Tantras has almost nothing in common with that of the Dra- 

 vidians.^'^ No original connection between the two has yet been 

 established. The Brahmanic influence which has attempted to 

 fuse the two cults has identified Dravidian spirit worship with 

 Hindu Sakti worship. The stories which have been given all 

 show Brahmanic origin and the wish to connect the two lines of 

 legends. No local story about any one of these gods shows any 

 relation to the Puranic stories. 



The fact that the Dravidian deities are so generally female*' 



banished to the earth where they were given the office of protecting men 

 from demons, among whom they reign as queens. If they do this work 

 faithfully, at the end of the Kali yuganm they will again be reinstated in 

 their former position. Ziegenbalg appears here to be speaking only of the 

 Seven Sisters. 



4' See page 37. 



*8 There is occasionally a male god among the Dravidians as Potu Razu 

 (see page 23) and Aiyanar. This latter is an important demon in the 

 Tamil country. He has authority over the other demons and is provided 

 with pottery horses to ride on his night raids. He is said to be the Ven- 

 katasu of the Telugus. The story of his birth is Puranic. It is that there 

 was once a terrible demon named Bhasmasura. Siva promised him that 

 everything he touched should be turned to ashes. The demon now tried to 

 touch Siva himself, but he fled. Vishnu now took the form of a fascinat- 

 ing young woman, and the demon wanted her. The young woman ordered 

 him to bathe and put oil on his head. He did so and was turned to ashes. 

 Siva now asked Vishnu to become that young woman again for his benefit. 

 Vishnu consented, and Aiyanar is their child. See Gazetteer of South 

 Arcot, I, p. 99; Oppert, Original Inhabitants of India, p. 505. The demon, 

 Kattan, is another male god of importance. See Ziegenbalg, Genealogy 

 of South Indian Gods, pp. 160-163, and Oppert, The Original Inhabitants 

 of India, p. 483. He is said to be the son of an adulterous Brahman 

 woman and was brought up by a pariah. He violated all the women in 

 his region. The men could not catch him, so he impaled himself on a stake, 

 and becoming a terrible devil was made a servant of Mariayamma. 



Such male gods as these are so very exceptional as to be noteworthy. In 

 the case of Potu Razu and Kattan they are not independent, but are servants 

 of the female gods. These few exceptions emphasize the preponderance 

 of female deities. 



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