History of Muneeshwara

Image: Taiping's 'Om Sakthi Sivanantha Arulantha Muneeswarar' temple

The worship of Munīśvara is widespread across India and its diaspora across the globe. As a folk deity, His references are rooted in oral tradition which is passed on verbally. As such, the history and whereabouts of this deity has myriad of versions and distortions to it. 

Let us get back to the basics. Definition first. The original term for Munīśvara was not with the suffix 'īśvara'. They were called Muniappaṉ, Muniāṇḍi and other variants. Muni is in reference to saint or sage. Īśvara, Āṇḍi, Appaṉ are synonymous to an authority or Lordship. Īśvara literally means ruler. Āṇḍi means ruler. Appaṉ is father. So, Munīśvara simply means 'the Lord of the sages'.

So, the deity is simply a folk form of Dakṣiṇāmūrti, who plays the role of a realised Guru, guiding others into the spiritual path.

Why Lord of Sages?

When a being attains the state of enlightenment, we revere them even after they leave their physical frame. This can take place in the form of samādhi-s ( eg. samādhi Bhogar in Paḻani ) and revered tombstones (naṭukkal worship). If you look at the way Munīśvara-s were worshiped back in the Sangam age, it was in the form of naṭukkal (tombstone). Vigraha (form) and temple came later in the picture.

Image: naṭukkal worship

Seekers, saints, yogis and enlightened masters varied across different cultures back in the days. For instance, there were many Buddhist and Jain monks in Tamiḻakam. A lot of Munīśvara-s are actually saints belonging to the Buddhist and Jain traditions.

Link to article above: https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2014/Sep/30/main-deity-at-pandi-temple-is-buddha-claims-archaeologist-666571.html

So these enlightened masters served as a guide and their site served to pull spiritually inclined seekers to higher states of meditativeness. It is just like how we seek siddha samādhi-s today.

Over time, the sites became a place of worship. Eventually, people erected statues and forms to represent the saint. The features of these saints were made to resemble local culture. For example, in Tamiḻakam, the forms were made with mustache and their local spiritual insignia, like triśūla.

So, if you notice, a lot of the current Munīśvara deities are actually enlightened masters from the Jain culture (termed Tīrthaṅkara in their tradition). Take a look at the Pāṇḍi Munīśvara in Madurai. The deity is in a meditative posture, that too strikingly similar to that of a Jain-styled deity. In fact, archeological reports (link above) confirm that the moustache was artificially added to the deity.

Image: Pāṇḍi Munīśvara

Image: Jain Tīrthaṅkara Mahāvīra

Image: The famous Talaveṭṭi Muniappaṉ temple is actually presided by a buddha

Association with a Warrior Figure

Originally, the warrior deities were called Vīra-s (esteemed beings who demonstrated eminent bravery and sacrifice). Even today, non-veg offerings and alcohol are commonly offered to the Vīra-s, not Muni. The Vīra-s were the ones who were usually worshiped for protection and justice. They usually presided at the village border. You will find them in the form of statues of police and military officers as well.

Image: A Vīra at my paternal village, taken in 2017. Contrary to this form, the Munīśvara in my village is represented with just a triśūla, nothing else.

Image: A contemporary Vīra; just joking. That's me roleplaying the state of warriorhood with His weapon.

Over time, the fluidity of the folk culture made the Muni-s adapt the features of other deity groups. In fact, today, many find difficulty in differentiating Muni-s from Karuppar-s and Veera-s. They commonly put them all under the same banner of 'Muni' deities. So with time, the Muni-s adapted the features of the Vīra-s and Karuppar-s.

Image: Muneś Prem Bābā, Munīśvara as worshiped in the Carribeans. He has no triśūla. Instead, he holds the moon. He has a saintly personality too.

So it is possible that the Muni deities assume the forms and functions visualized by the devotees. With time, as the deities were shaped as a warrior on a horse, in white, with a triśūla; they too, started manifesting in that manner.

You can try this as an experiment, even. Try worshiping a Munīśvara as a child-form. He will very likely manifest in the form of a child, even.

Nevertheless, the original saintly attribute of the Muni deities is eternal. You can even ask the deity who is being authentically channeled. They would reveal their nature to be that of śiva - meditative and saintly. They represent enlightenment.