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Home > Kerala Temples > Introduction to Kerala Temples > Evolution of Mode of Worship Evolution of Mode of WorshipThe history of temple worship is closely linked with the evolution of mankind, i.e., from nomads to farmers and from farmers to village-dwellers. The village settlements emerged due to sheer necessity for protection. Each tribal settlement had a leader and he had conceived a form of God, which was best suited to give him protection from all evils. Most of such conceptions were based on nature or fierce Gods. They were basically lovers of environment and their whole imagination centered around nature, which satisfied their needs. This attitude led them to honour and attribute divinity to Sun (Soorya), Rain God (Indra) and fire (Agni) besides trees and plants like the peepul, Aswathha, Bilwa, (Vilwa) Thulasi, animal like cow, bird like Braahmini kite (Garuda) and stone like saalagram. On passage of time and fully realizing the existence of supernatural powers of the all pervading force refinements in the mode of worship developed. Among the religious faiths of the Dravidians of south India the most primitive one is the spirit cult or worship of semi divine spirits. Though it is practiced in different parts of the country, North Kerala and adjacent Dakshin Kannada district of Karnataka state have preserved this ancient form of worship in all its purity and elaborate formality with music, dance and rituals as well as oracles and miracles associated with it in the form of the interaction between human beings and divine beings…… Though the origin of this cult can be traced to the concepts of totemism and ancestor worship, the cults of the Mother Goddess, serpent and tree are also incorporated into this. Some spirits are of animistic origin while certain others are the legendary heroes or other historical figures who met with tragic death and hence attained divinity. There are also certain spirits whose names indicate their origin from Indian Mythology. The emergence of sculptural images is of later origin. The earlier images comprised of clay figurines burnt in fire, terracotta figurines, stone figures etc. these images were not worshipped by all sections of the society. “The practice of making images of various deities have been in vogue among the higher orders of the Indo Aryans of the early Vedic period. But it is highly probable that image worship was current among the lower order of the people including the pre Aryan settlers. Sculptural finds in the early Indus Valley sites, such as the phalli and ring stones, many terracotta and a few stone figurines, have been considered by certain scholars as cult objects. They have interpreted some words in the Rg Veda as deprecatory of this pre Aryan mode of worship. But while the Vedic sages might condemn the religious practices of the earlier inhabitants, their own sacrifice ridden religion came to be gradually modified through its long contact with the indigenous cult. With the development of Bhakthi cult different religious sects arose. It postulated a deep mystical feeling of single minded devotion to a personal deity with whom the devotee has intangible moral nexus. The deities were chosen not from the Vedic pantheon but from the folk divinities described in Buddhist and Jaina texts as Vyanthara Devathaas, from mythical ones like Siva and Sakthi and from apotheosized heroes like Vasudeva Krishna, the Buddha and Mahavira. The worshippers of Yakshas and Naagas appear to have been the most primitive group and it was primarily their example that was followed by the members of the other sects.. The followers of the theistic cults wanted the images of the various deities and their accessories for ritual use, and the icons has to be enshrined in temples (Deva grhas or praasaadas) for regular worship (Nithya pooja). In a fragmentary inscription of the 1st century B.C. found in Besnagar there is a reference to the excellent palace of the God of Vasudeva, and it seems certain that an image of the deity had been housed there. All these imply that the image worship was prevalent even before the Christian era.
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