Sudalai Madan

The fully decorated statue of sudalaimadan in the centre with veriyandi samy in the left and Madathy amman in right. This picture is from the shrine of thamaraikulam sudalaimadan temple, Melakadayanallur,Tenkasi, Thirunelveli.

Sudalai Madan is a regional Tamil male deity who is popular in South India, particularly Tamil Nadu. He is created by Shiva, so he is considered as son of Shiva and Shakti. The word madan means protector; sudalai means cemetery. He it the protector from evil force and rule the evil force. Evil force are mostly in place of cemetery. Sudalai control the evil force, so Shiva named him as Sudalai Madan.

There are some more deities are called Madan, but Sudalai is the superior to all. The higher superior is Ayyanar. Ayyanar is the form of lord Dharma Sastha. Treating like Ayyanar is the king, where Sudalai and Karuppasamy are the General. Sudali is treated as village deity. In Tamil, it is called Grama Devathai. Sudalai also called as Kaval Deivam, means Protecting Deity.

He is mostly with mother goddess Bhrama shakti Rakchasai and Vanapechi and he should be with his brother Sudalai Mundan. Sudalai Madan doesn't have a consort. There is misconception madathi is the consort of sudalai. But Sudalai Madan and Madan are different deities.

There is the belief that Sudali is the guardian of Kodimaram (flagstaff) in every temple. The earliest form of Sudalai is also called Siva Sudalai Madan.

Temples

Places of Famous and Powerful Sudalai Madan temples are

A very old statue of SudalaiMadan is situated in Thanumalayanputhoor, This Idol was dedicated here by more than 150 years ago
  1. sree siva sudalaimadan swamy Temple , sivasubramaniapuram , Radhapuram Taluk , Tirunelveli District.
  2. Seevalaperi
  3. High Court Maharaja Temple, Arumuga mangalam, Thenkalam puthur (Tirunelveli)
  4. Vijayanarayanapuram
  5. Oosikattu/Ooikattu Sudalai Madan Temple
  6. Sirumalanji
  7. Palavur, Arulmigu Sudalai Kovil
  8. Arulmigu Sri Vattrakathan Sudalaimadan Kovil, (Achioor) Valliyoor
  9. Pudupatti, Arulmigu Sri Sekkadi Sudalaimadan Kovil (Tirunelveli District). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1aDO41FY1c
  10. Vannathankulam/ Thanumalayanputhoor Siva Sudalai, Mayana Kali Temple
  11. Vadalivilai Sudalai Madan Temple, Nagercoil
  12. Ozhuginaseri Masana Sudalai Temple
  13. Maha SivaSudalai Temple, Colachel and All the places in the region of Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanniyakumari district
  14. Vaigai Sri Sudalaimadasami Temple, Kilakkarai (Ramnanathapuram District)
Iconic representation of Madan in a village shrine in South India

History of Sudalai.

There is no written script for Sudalai. But the histories are vocally transferred from ancient. By the history, Sudalai have five birth.

Born in Kailash by penance of Parvathi is first birth.

The story about Sudalai Mada Samy tells of his birth on Kailasa, the mountain home of Siva and Parvathi. It is said that Devi Parvathi wanted a child, but Lord Siva had sworn celibacy. He had promised to be chaste at the request of the gods, since they had feared that his union with Parvathy would be so powerful it would shatter the universe. Siva suggests another way to have a child. He tells Parvathy to go to do penance in Ayiramkal mandapam (Place having 1000 pillars in Kailash). Parvathi did penance. Shiva was happy about that. So he light up a fire lamp in that place. The fire spreader on her mundanai ( a part of saree). From the fire three children born. but the children were shapeless mass of tissue. She was really worried and pleaded Shiva to give her a solution. Siva asked Brahma to give the baby a shape. Shiva gave life to the baby . The first baby is girl, Sudalai Pechi. The second is boy Sudalai Madan while third boy is Sudalai Mundan.

Parvathi initially feeds the child on Amrita (the nectar of immortality), instead of on breast milk. So it is said that the child became immortal. However, the child also became desirous for solid food. He went to the cremation grounds ("sudalai") on Kailasa, and began to eat the burning corpses. When he finished those, he began to eat everything around him, the other spirits, the animals, the trees, the ground itself etc. He feasted with a heavy appetite.

Because he ate so much, and since he had such a fondness for meat, it was decided that he ought not remain in Kailash. Siva instructed him to go to Earth, and to care for its people. Siva proclaimed that Sudalai Madan's protection and kindness would be re-paid with offerings of cooked food and drink, and thus he would always have a meal, as well as people who would pray to him. So Sudalai Madan came to earth, accompanied by a number of singers and dancers who were sent by Siva to see to his worship.

In the Second Birth, there are 21 madan's born from yagya. Once Parvathi's father did Yagya, but that was destructed by shiva. Shiva sent Veerapathran to destruct. After the destruction, they again did yagya by the instruction of shiva in the same yagya kund. from that 21 madans born.

Mandans are Sudalai Madan, Sudalai Mundan, Pattani Madan, Thalavai Madan, Nalla Madan, Undi Madan, Chappani Madan, Vannaara Madan, Karadi Madan, Pantri Madan, Kuthirai Madan, Agni Madan, Palavesakkaran, Karaiyadi Madan, Kalu Madan, Pula Madan, Idakkai Madan, Thoosi Madan and Sankili Madan.

Worship

Often Sudalai Madan statues are triangular pillar like structure and figured statues are stone carved. He is either in open or under a simple roof, The devotees serving Non vegetarian foods to him Goats,Chickens and pigs are sacrificed and serves before God. Fridays are optimum for Sudalai Madan, Special poojas are conducted in every last fridays of Tamil months, yearly once or twice main festivals are conducted for Sudalai Madan, these festivals are called as "Kodai". Kodai is celebrated for one day to multi days according to the devotees need, Some famous temples celebrate it for 10 days.

Lots of Sheep sacrificed before God in a temple
Non vegetarian meals served for SudalaiMadan on a temple in Thovalai

On these occasions God statues are fully decorated with flowers, some peoples get obsessed on god and devotees talk to god through them and God went for hunting in cemetery yard through this spiritually obsessed person, Musicals like Thappattai, Kaniyan Koothu(Maguda kacheri), Villupattu are mainly takes places in Sudalai Maadan Kodai.

Spritually obsessed persons return with human bones on hunting from cemetery

Outside India

Madan is also popular amongst certain segments of the Tamil diaspora in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Réunion and the French overseas territories in the Caribbean sea.

References

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