The villages in South India “belong to” the goddess. She is all of creation, the mother of all gods too, she represents the creation and dissolution of everything. Her qualities were all nature itself, the land, the rivers, the sun, wind, fire and rain. For Shakti devotees, natural energy, vibration and manifestation are an integral part of her worship.Īncient texts also indicated that Mari Amman is identified with ancient mother goddess, Mangai, the mother of Kandasami. She is the direct manifestation of Shiva, who represents creation and dissolution. This mother goddess was conceived as a virgin and is seen as one who has given birth to all and is typically identified with today’s Shaktism. Since these times, the mother goddess, Mari Amman is venerated as the supreme. These texts have complex ways of representing deities, philosophical doctrines, meditative practices, attainment of desires and other common spiritual and non-spiritual rituals and practices. The Agamas are a collection of manuscripts written in Tamil, which precisely constitutes the methods of temple construction and creation of murtis and idols. The early Dravidian religion was historically Agamic, or a non-Vedic form of Hinduism. At that time, there was no concept of moksha and liberation, only survival. It was these people who developed the concept and worship of village Gods. They wanted Gods to protect them from the fury of nature and epidemics and give them a very happy and content family life. In ancient South India, people had their own concept of Gods. These ancient traditions date back as far back as 8,000 years, since the dawn of the agricultural age. This form of worship has even been carried on throughout the Tamil Diaspora worldwide. Tamils are descendants of the ancient Dravidians, had their own Gods and traditions, whose worship still live on today in the rural villages of Tamil Nadu.