Muniswaran Worship - Part II

I first wrote about Muniswaran worship in 2013. After a long interval, I have decided to revisit the subject and add further details. My intention is to provide a deeper understanding of the traditions, origins, and symbolism surrounding the Munis, which I believe will be valuable for devotees of Ayya and those interested in the wider practice of folk guardianship in Tamil culture.

While Muniandy is often regarded as simply another name for Muniswaran, or perhaps an older form of the name, certain temples preserve a different understanding. For example, at the Sri Maha Athi Muneeswarar Temple in Sentul, Muniandy is revered as the guardian or munnadiyan of the presiding deity Athi Muniswaran. This form is also called Nondi Muniyandi, and it parallels other munnadiyan figures such as Nondi Karuppar, Nondi Sonaiyar, Nondi Samayan, and Nondi Veeran.
Image source Sri Maha Athi Muneeswarar Temple

Before proceeding further, I recommend reading the following two articles to gain a clearer understanding of Muniswaran Worship – Part II.

1. Muniswaran Worship - Part I
2. The Munnadiyaan as Kshetrapala in Tamil Folk Tradition

Muniswarans in Northern Tamil Nadu

The famous 7 Muniswarans.
Image source: Sree Pachaiamman Temple Tiruvannamalai

The most common names for Muni guardians are Muniswaran, Muniyappan, and Munisamy. Their origins are often traced back to the Sapta Muniswarans (7 Muniswarans) who descended to protect Goddess Pachaiamman. In some traditions, they are regarded as folk versions of the Sapta Rishis. 

The iconography of the Munis in the northern districts typically depicts them in a seated position, holding a sword in the right hand and at times, a shield or other weapons. Some are also shown with a trident while seated. Even in Bangalore, the Munis are popularly addressed as Muniswarans. The Sapta Muniswarans are usually depicted in different colours. 

Muniswarans in Southern Tamil Nadu

Muniyandi of Alanganallur.
Image credit: Alanganallur Muniyandi Swami

In the southern districts, the most common names for the Muni guardians are Muniyandi and Muniayya, although Muniswaran is also used, possibly due to recent influence.

There are three main traditions regarding the origins of Muni worship in the south:

1. Muniyandi of Alanganallur – Said to be of Malayalam (Kerala) origin. According to folklore, he was placed inside a box and set afloat in the river. A poor family found him, raised him, and later, their descendants deified him, becoming the hereditary priests of his temple.

2. Paandi Muni – A couple once dreamt of a Muni who revealed that he was the former Pandya king Neduncheliyan. They unearthed his idol buried in the ground and began to worship him, establishing his temple.

3. Mottai Gopuram Muniandy – Rooted in Madurai folklore. During the divine wedding of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar (Shiva), many bhutas attended. After the ceremony, most returned, but Shiva and Meenakshi requested one chief bhuta, a powerful guardian, to remain in Madurai. He became the guardian of the northern tower (Mottai Gopuram) of the temple. Currently he is known as Maha Muniswarar.

In contrast to the north, most of the southern Munis are usually shown in a standing position, holding an aruval (sickle) or a club in the right hand, and a trident in the left.

Muniswaran in Jainism and Buddhism

12th century CE statue of Manjushri, the Buddhist Bodhisattva of wisdom. It was reportedly stolen from a temple near Bodh Gaya in Bihar. It was displayed at the Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina. 

Image Credit: Firstport

Some of the Munis worshipped today as Muniswaran may have roots in Jain and Buddhist traditions. Take a look at the statue of Manjushri above. If we add a thick moustache, he could easily pass off as a Tamil village guardian deity! Makes you wonder if some of the guardian gods we worship today as Muniswaran were once part of the Buddhist pantheon.

As noted earlier in Part I, the word Muni simply means “sage” or “mendicant.” It is widely used across both religions. The Buddha himself is often called Śākya Muni (the Sage of the Śākya clan), and Jainism also speaks of numerous Munis and ascetic teachers.

Main Deity at Pandi Temple is Buddha, Claims Archaeologist.
Click here to read full article by The New Indian Express.

Abishegam being done for Paandi Muniswarar

A striking detail is that certain Muniswarans are portrayed as vegetarians. In Tamil folk tradition, guardian spirits are usually offered blood sacrifices and meat. However, some Munis are honored in a more saintly, ascetic manner, resembling Jain and Buddhist monks. Both Jainism and Buddhism prohibit animal sacrifice and offerings of meat, which could explain this divergence in practice.

There is also a Jain Tīrthaṅkara known as Munisuvrata, whose name resonates with the title Muniswaran. This points to possible shared etymological or cultural connections between Jain saints and the folk Munis of South India.

The term Munīśvara (lord of mendicants) is found in classical Jain literature. For example, in the 11th-century Jñānārṇava, a treatise on Jain Yoga by Śubhacandra, Munīśvaras are mentioned as enlightened ascetics who have destroyed delusion (kṣīṇamohair munīśvaraiḥ). They are described as authorities on meditation, preserving teachings found in the Pūrvas and Aṅgas.

“The fourfold division (of meditation) is explained by the lords of mendicants (munīśvara), who are free of delusion. Even so, no one today is capable of describing more than a fraction of it.” (Jñānārṇava)

The name Munīśvara also appears in Jain lineage records. In the Bṛhadgaccha-gurvāvalī, a text preserving the teacher-lineages of the Jain community, we find mention of Munīśvara Sūri. These records provide details such as his literary contributions, image consecrations, and even his participation in debates with non-Jains.

Such references suggest that the name Munīśvara was widely used among ascetic teachers in Jainism. The title “Munīśvara” was already a mark of high ascetic authority in Jainism. Over time, it may have merged with Tamil folk frameworks, where spirits and guardians were localized and worshipped.

The name similarity with Munisuvrata Tīrthaṅkara further strengthens the idea of shared religious vocabulary and cultural borrowing.

The Symbolism of Vegetarian Muniswarans

The fierce and non-vegetarian bali devata Samaya Karuppar of Paandi Muniswarar temple, Madurai.
Image source: finding god within

The vegetarian Muniswarans in Tamil tradition may represent an overlay of Jain and Buddhist ascetic ideals onto older folk guardian practices. For example, the idol of Paandi Muniswaran is believed to represent a Buddhist or Jain monk, which explains his veneration as a vegetarian deity. 

In keeping with this ascetic character, Paandi Muniswaran himself does not receive animal sacrifices or meat offerings. Instead, such offerings are directed to his companion and protector, Samaya Karuppar, who fulfills the fierce guardian role. This dual arrangement reflects the blending of ascetic traditions with folk practices, where the saintly figure embodies restraint while the protector channels the community’s need for powerful and aggressive guardianship.

The Muniswarar of the famous Jalan Baru Muniswarar Temple, Prai is a vegetarian deity. The blood sacrifice and non-vegetarian offerings are given to Madurai Veeran who stands opposite of him as his munnadiyan. This temple was formerly known as Sri Muniyandi Temple.

In some cases, vegetarian Muniswarans could have been modelled on Ayyanar (Dharma Śāstā), since Ayyanar himself is often regarded as a vegetarian deity that functions as the chief of other guardian deities. This overlap is especially evident in the southern districts, where certain Muniswarans such as Dharma Muniswaran are worshipped as saintly guardians.

These vegetarian Muniswarans of southern districts are often accompanied by a Karuppar who serves as their protector deity. For example, while Paandi Muniswaran of Madurai has Samaya Karuppar, the Dharma Muniswaran of Koorankottai has Sangili Karuppar as his protector. 

The history of Koorankottai Dharma Muniswarar.

This pairing closely mirrors the traditional relationship of Dharma Śāstā and Karuppar or even Buddhism's Avaokitesvara and Mahakala, where the Muniswaran embodies dharma and restraint while Karuppar functions as his fierce enforcer and his violent emanation.  The symbolism suggests a continuity of village religious imagination in which compassion and ferocity are balanced by assigning complementary roles to deities.

I will continue to share further insights on Muniswaran worship whenever I come across new information, so that this living tradition can be better understood and appreciated.