The Tradition of Worship in Periyapuranam

Abstract

Since ancient times, discourse on God has been widespread. The idea and worship of God did not arise suddenly. We know that these things occurred in people's lives tens of thousands of years ago, either because of fear or other difficulties. When these occur out of fear, it is also seen that the deities also undergo many dimensions. At each time, the deities evolved from the worship of nature and many other dimensions, so that human modulation and embodiment were acquired to be worshipped and revered. When those who were in nomadic communities became status-dwellers, the deity for them also became established. It became their custom to worship those deities at specific times. The deities have been worshipped in two different positions in the concept of opposites, such as pooja offering milk and sacrificing animals. When the deities become institutional religions and goddesses in such a worshipable environment, people accept them as well. Just as people's lives change with each passing time, so has their faith in God, the appearance of the Gods, and the name and form of the deities. This variation, which depends on the land, can also be seen. In the Periyapuranam, we find some of the traditions of worship based on the belief in a God that has developed in this way. Although Periyapuranam in particular is the literature that originated and developed in the Middle Ages, the messages for nearly five centuries in them are put together and created. In doing so, we also see Kannappar, who was born into the Hunter clan. We also see some devotees who are Brahmins. Through them, we can see that the worship of minor deities becomes the worship of the great deity and that in the worship of the great deity, the traditions of worship such as sacrificial sacrifice are carried out by many devotees. In the case of the folk deities, Saivism can be seen to have attracted those who were engaged in worship and others. These can also be re-enactments of the Jaina-Saiva struggle that took place in the context of that period. It can be seen that devotees of other religions are also brought together in worship, and those who recite the five letters in a simple manner while showing those who attain to God by learning mantras through the Vedas get the same results. Since ancient times, in the antithesis of the flower and the offer of milk or sacrifice, the style in which Saivism has adopted the pooja with flowers is also known. Periyapuranam is shown to have accepted the worship of many devotees in many contexts, and the Saiva linkage is the way of many modes of worship