The Sanskritisation of Tamil Nadu's village gods

In the quiet hamlets of Tamil Nadu, ancient gods of the land still reign over people's faith. Yet, the way they are worshipped is undergoing a slow but profound transformation. What were once simple village rituals involving local songs, offerings, and earthy ceremonies, are now being replaced with Sanskrit mantras and Hindu temple-like customs, a process scholars and observers describe as the Sanskritisation of village deities.

A random check on YouTube would land you among videos of Sanskrit mantras for village deities such as Mariamman, Kaliamman, Ettukai Amman (goddess with eight hands), Sudalaimadan (god of the graveyard), and Ayyanar (guardian folk deity).

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Village priests, too, take up training to decorate their idols in various Hindu deity forms and perform special pujas during Navaratri, Deepavali, and other festivals. Priests also have the additional work of observing special days such as Ashtami, Pradosham, and the nine-day puja during Navaratri.

Priests' body holds deity-decoration training

P Vasu, state president of the Tamil Nadu village priests' association, recently organised a 12-day training for village priests to decorate deities with various alankaras and Sanskrit shlokas. His association has close to one lakh priests performing pujas in various village temples.

Tamil folk songs are being slowly edged out in favour of Sanskrit slokas. This not only changes the nature of the worship but also alters the gender dynamics of the faith. They are being homogenised, stripped of their regional identities, and turned into another version of Shiva or Kali.

“Similar to how deities are dressed up in big and popular temples, devotees expect the same environment in village temples. They expect us to perform special pujas and decorations for village deities and also to chant mantras and perform an archana in their name with Sanskrit mantras. Earlier, we used to sing songs and perform rituals based on what was handed over by our ancestors. Now, we have added Sanskrit mantras also in the rituals,’’ said Vasu.

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He pointed out that many singers have composed Sahasranama slokas, Gayatri mantras, and Suprabhatams for folk gods.

Talking about Navaratri decorations in village temples, he said, “Our priests decorate village deities in nine different forms during the Navaratri festival. Due to the interest shown by devotees—some of whom were ready to sponsor and spend for the festival—we were able to cater to their needs. Village priests have to empower their skill set like in any other profession.”

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Venkatesh (46) is among the priests who underwent training in decoration and chanting Sanskrit mantras. He is a third-generation priest working at Chinna Mariamman Temple in Mettur. Neither his grandfather nor his father chanted any mantras.

“They only sang songs and uttered verses in praise of the deity and wishes for the devotees in Tamil. Now, devotees expect us to perform different pujas and want the deity to be dressed up with special decorations. I learnt decoration with sandal paste, floral decoration for the main deity, and different decoration with ornaments for the Urchavar. We have been celebrating Navaratri for the last three years,” he explained.

Sanskritisation of village deities

Acclaimed Tamil writer and scholar Perumal Murugan said the Sanskritisation of village deities is not just a spontaneous growth but is also fuelled by right-wing organisations. He also mentioned that what was once an intimate connection between the devotee and the village deity has now become mediated by trained or traditional priests.

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These shifts must be seen as deeply political, and yet, not much research has been done on how dramatically the temple culture in these parts is being transformed.

'RSS-linked groups encouraging it'

“We are witnessing Sanskritisation in various forms in village temples. There are RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh)-linked groups and associations actively encouraging it, even conducting workshops for priests. They are increasingly taking over pujas in village temples, be it Mariamman or Sudalaimadan, performing Kumbabhishekams or chanting Gayathri mantras, Suprabhatams, and Sahasranamams, which were never part of these local traditions," he told The Federal.

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"Earlier, the community itself performed simple rituals, but with younger generations, educated youth are moving away from priestly work due to low income and as a fight against casteism, outside Brahmin priests are filling the vacuum. This has changed not only the rituals but also the very structure of temples,” he added.

MK Geetha (42), a staunch devotee of Mariamman, said during her childhood, the annual festival of the village temple in Erode used to be an exciting one, but now special pujas are performed almost once or twice a month.

Acclaimed writer and Tamil scholar Perumal Murugan said the Sanskritisation of village deities is not just a spontaneous growth but is also fuelled by right-wing organisations.

“I’m glad I get to pray to my favourite deity with different decorations. Earlier, the annual festival of the village temple was fully designed and executed by villagers. But in recent years, local politicians and spiritual groups are sponsoring pujas and annadhanam during special days such as Pournami, Durgashtami, and Fridays,” she told The Federal.

Tamil folklore gods into Hindu mainstream?

Writer and folklore studies researcher A Sivasubramanian, who has long studied the culture and belief systems of Tamil Nadu, told this publication that folklore gods such as Sudalaimadan, Ettukai Amman, Karuppasamy, and others are increasingly being absorbed into mainstream Hindu practices.

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“Earlier, these deities were worshipped with native rituals, songs in Tamil, animal sacrifices, possession dances, and communal festivals. Now, we are seeing priests chanting Sanskrit mantras during these rituals, a trend that has grown over the past few decades,” he explained.

Take for example, Sudalaimadan, one of the most popular guardian deities in the southern districts. Traditionally seen as a cremation-ground deity and protector of the village, Sudalaimadan is often associated with fierce power and a raw connection to ancestral spirits. In the past, his festivals were marked by folk dances (like Villu Paatu), trances, animal offerings, and Tamil hymns composed by the community.

“But now,” Suvasubramanian said, “temples dedicated to Sudalaimadan are increasingly adopting Hindu-style structures, with gopurams (temple towers), pradakshina paths, and priests chanting mantras to perform archana instead of Tamil songs. Mantras that have no historical connection with these folk deities are being chanted."

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Priests wear saffron robes

In some temples, local priests who once came from the community now wear saffron robes and recite Vedic chants even though such expressions do not have any direct relevance to the deity or tradition. “This reflects a deeper shift,” he warned. “These deities, which once represented localised spirituality and the people’s lived experiences, are now being moulded into a Brahminical, pan-Indian framework.”

Similar transformations are seen in the worship of Ettukai Amman, a fierce mother goddess worshipped widely across Tamil Nadu. Ettukai Amman is known for her powerful presence during possession ceremonies (sami adudhal), where women would often serve as the goddess’s medium.

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“Today, many temples dedicated to Ettukai Amman have begun to appoint trained male priests. Tamil folk songs are slowly being edged out in favour of Sanskrit slokas. This not only changes the nature of the worship but also alters the gender dynamics of the faith.”

The danger, according to Sivasubramanian, is that these village gods may eventually become unrecognisable to the very people who once created and nurtured them. “They are being homogenised, stripped of their regional identities, and turned into another version of Shiva or Kali,’’ he noted.