Page 5 - Apr-Jun 2015

VOL. 12 No. 2
Tiger - iNDia’s saCreD aNiMal

The national animal of India is also the most sacred animal. Many gods and goddesses in the Hindu mythology are shown
riding the tiger. The tiger is a part of popular iconography and is depicted in different forms in Indian mythology.

LEGENDS FRoM TIGER DANCE LEGENDS FRoM THE

WESTERN AND The tiger dance is a popular dance NoRTH EASTERN INDIA

SouTHERN INDIA form in many parts of india. it is called in Naga folklore, the tiger is invoked
Puliyattam in Tamil Nadu, Pulivesham as a guardian of the region. in earlier
The tiger is associated with lord in andhra Pradesh, Puli Kali in Kerala, times, oaths were taken over a tiger’s
ayyappa of sabarimala. according to hulivesha in Karnataka and baghnritya tooth or skull and tiger spirits were
popular legend, ayyappa was found in Odisha. it is usually performed invoked to cure illnesses. The Nagas
by a king and a queen on the banks during Dussehra in honour of goddess
of a river and they brought him to Durga. consider the tiger to be so sacred that
the palace and raised him like their cutting, skinning and eating tiger flesh
own child. when the queen had her M.S. Mohit, X A, Senthil Public School, Salem is a taboo.
own child, she became jealous of
ayyappa and plotted to get him killed. TIGERS IN HINDu
she pretended to be ill and ordered
ayyappa to get tiger’s milk to cure her MYTHoLoGY
illness. her malicious plan, however,
failed and ayyappa returned to the The Tiger Skin of Lord Shiva
palace riding the tiger. Many gods also lord shiva is always depicted in hindu
followed ayyappa to the palace in the mythology either wearing a tiger hide
form of tigers.
ACTIVITY- TIGER MASK or seated on one. he is also at times
referred to as Vyaghranatheshvara
Make your own tiger mask using (lord of the Tiger) because he is
paper. Draw the face of a tiger on a supposed to have killed a demon who
piece of thick yellow paper and make had taken the form of a tiger. Following
black stripes on the edges of the face, the example of lord shiva many sages
including the ears and head. Cut the and yogis in the ancient times used to
eye portion so that you can see. attach meditate seated on a tiger skin.
an elastic band to the back of the mask Ananya Mishra, X D, Puranchandra
in order to wear it. Vidyaniketan, Kanpur

Devi on the Tiger

in hindu mythology, goddess Durga,
the most powerful form of shakti,
is portrayed mounted on a tiger.
The choice of
Illustration by: Navika Rajput, XI, the vehicle
Pine Hall School, Rajpur Road, Dehradun represents power
in Karnataka, the tiger is worshipped as and immortality.
deity betaraya. The warli tribe worships Fresco paintings
a deity called waghya which means a from Tibet also
tiger. waghle and waghmare are some depict goddesses
of the family names derived from the riding tigers.
title given to a tiger killer.
Illustration by: Akarsh Garg, VIII B, Delhi Public School,
Sector 45, Gurgaon

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