In South India terracotta horses are given to the God Ayyanar in belief that he and his soldiers ride them at night to battle adversity and protect communities. As elsewhere, terracottas given to Ayyanar are only important at the very moment of their donation when they are believed to become real in the spirit world. After the ceremony they are left to break and crumble to be replaced the following year by other gifts of earth.
Velangambadi, South Arcot District, Tamil Nadu
Archive Scan #: I26_025