Muniandi
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Muniandi (Tamil: முனியாண்டி) a regional Tamil deity who is popular amongst the least Sanskritized social groups of South India specifically Tamil Nadu. It is also a common name amongst some people.
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[edit] Muniandi to Muniswaran
Eventually some Muninadi shrines come to be identified with Munisvaran an aspect of Hindu god Shiva thus upgrading the shrine into a full fledged temple with Brahmin priests officiating as priests. Many such temples are found in Singapore and Sri Lanka (See Munneswaram)
[edit] Tamil Diaspora
The deity is also popular amongst certain segments of the Tamil diaspora in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Réunion and the French overseas territories in the Caribbean
[edit] Jaina Vestiges
An alternative theory suggests that at least some of the Munisvaran temples were Jaina temples dedicated to some of their 21 Tirthankaras or locally identified as Munis which were converted over to Hindu temples during the Bhakthi era reconverstion of Tamil Jains into Hindus.
The meaning of the Tamil word Muniandi is a devotee of muni possibly indicating a Jain. Thus the Muniandi cult itself could be of leftover from when Jainism was a dominant religion in ancient Tamilakam.
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