History of Munishwara

Image: Taiping's 'Om Sakthi Sivanantha Arulantha Muneeswarar' temple. Design is similar to the Sapta Muni-s in Tiruvaṇṇāmalai’s Pacaiyamman temple, Tamiḻ Nāḍu 

In this article, I will cover the two aspects of Muni.

1. As a saint

2. As a spirit

Then I will talk about how the term 'Munīśvara' is attributed differently according to worship.

The Saintly Link

Let us get back to the basics. Definition first. In villages, Munīśvara deities were colloquially called Muniappaṉ, Muniāṇḍi and with other variants. 

Muni = saint or sage. 

Īśvara, Āṇḍi, Appaṉ = authority or Lordship

Īśvara literally means ruler. Āṇḍi means ruler. Appaṉ is father.

So, Munīśvara simply means 'the Lord of the sages'.

In our culture, an ascetic, saint or siddha is referred to as 'muni'. For example, Siddhārta Gautama who became buddha was referred to as Śākya-muni. In Tamiḻ, it is a norm to suffix a word with a respectful phrase. We refer to Piḷḷaiyār as Piḷḷaiyār-appā. We refer to Mahāmāri as Mahāmāri-ammaṉ. Similarly, the respectable muni-s were referred to as Muni-appaṉ or Muni-ammā. There were many saints who had different traits, and therefore, the many forms of Munīśvara. For example, the Veda Munīśvara we find in villages today is highly likely to be Veda Vyāsa. 

Image: Veda Muni, a form of Munīśvara commonly worshiped in villages.

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 of Bhogar in Paḻani ) and revered tombstones (naṭukal worship). If you look at the way Munīśvara-s were worshiped long ago, it was in the form of naṭukkal (tombstone). Vigraha (form) and temple came later in the picture.

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 centuries before. A lot of Munīśvara-s are actually saints belonging to the Buddhist and Jain traditions. When a being attains enlightenment, He attains the status of a guru; a guide to other spiritual aspirants. So, He becomes a 'guide' or 'lord' to other muni-s. 

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

Jain and Buddhist Origin

The Jain texts use the word Munīśvara explicitly.

Amṛtacandra Sūri’s Puruṣārthasiddhyupāya, verse 6:

अबुधस्य बोधनार्थं मुनीश्वरा देशयन्त्यभूतार्थम् ।

व्यवहारमेव केवलमवैति यस्तस्य देशना नास्ति ॥ ६ ॥

abudhasya bodhanārthaṃ munīśvarā deśayanty abhūtārtham |

vyavahāram eva kevalam avaiti yas tasya deśanā nāsti || 6 ||

Meaning: For the instruction of the ignorant, the Munīśvaras teach the non-ultimate/conventional standpoint. But one who understands only the conventional standpoint has not truly received the teaching.

In Jain texts, Munīśvara-s are enlightened beings, who guide their disciples into the spiritual path.

Click here for link to article above

So these enlightened masters served as a guide and their graves 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 enlightened being. Even today, many temples in India are erected on the samādhi-s of enlightened beings. The features of these saints were made to resemble local culture and the preference of devotees. For example, in Tamiḻakam, the forms were made with mustache and their local spiritual insignia, like triśūla. Also, a common prayer for the laymen back in the times was for protection. Not everyone visits siddha samādhi-s for spiritual growth alone. When commoners prayed for protection and removal of fear, the iconography of the Muni-s adapted features of a fierce, protective deity with weapons. This is not wrong either.

It is just like we have Skanda Who is also worshiped specifically for protection through Kanda ṣaṣṭi kavacam.  The meditative Śiva can also appear terrific as a protector Bhairava.

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 Maḍurai. The deity is in a meditative posture, that too in a replica of a Jain-styled deity. In fact, archeological reports (link above) claim that the moustache was artificially added to the deity.

The śrīvatsa on the chest is a striking feature of Jain deities. The deity on the left ( above ) is Suparśvanātha. Note the śrīvatsa on His chest. You notice an exact remnant of it on the Pāṇḍi Muni. It was probably scrapped off.

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

Association with a Warrior Figure

Image: Maḍurai Vīra in AIMST University, my alma mater. He was installed by the construction workers when the campus was being built in the forest, for protection. Even today, the deity actively confers protection to the residents of the institute.

Originally, the warrior deities were called Vīra-s (esteemed beings who demonstrated eminent bravery and sacrifice). Even today, sacrifice, 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.

The Vīra-s are also sometimes worshiped as a Karuppar.

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. The triśūla represents the state of śiva ( enlightenment ).

Image: Sem-muni in my village. He is in the form of a triśūla 

Image: A contemporary Vīra; just joking. That's me roleplaying the state of warriorhood with His weapon ( 2017 ).

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 Vīra -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. That is why you find the Muni deities of the recent times with the fierce-warriorly form.

Image: Pāṇḍi Muni in A temple in Seremban, Malaysia. See the difference in this depiction with the original one in Maḍurai.

Image: The famous Jalan Baru Munīśvara. You notice that He appears as a typical Muni deity with warrior features. What you see here is merely a decoration to His original vigraha. You can appreciate it when they remove all the alaṅkāram. I have added that below:

Image: This is what lies underneath all the deco. This is the original form of the deity. As triśūla.

Image: Muneś Prem Bābā. This is Munīśvara as worshiped in the Carribeans. He has no triśūla. Instead, he holds the moon. In Jamaica, He is the 'moon God'. The original saintly figure got amalgamised with their local tradition to form a variant in the deity form.

Image: Jīva samādhi of the siddha Jagannātha Svāmī in Tapah, Malaysia. Notice how He is represented with the iconography of Dakṣiṇāmūrti. Siddha-s like this are Munīśvara -s: The Lord of the Muni-s. Regardless of the form and cultural variations we have, this is the true meaning to the deity.

That's right - I caught the echo of your mindvoice. Then why are some Munīśvara -s worshiped as ghost-hunters, with a fierce personality? You might also be wondering as to why slaughter and non-veg offerings are given to your ancestral Munīśvara. I will get into it. Keep reading....

Muni Being Spirits and Not Saints

In Tamiḻ villages, you would have noticed that the term “Muni” does not mean a saint, but a form of feared spirit. You can see taboo practices in relation to this. For example, people usually do not sleep near the entrance of their houses, as the roaming Muni may harm them. It is not uncommon to hear villagers talking about how the Muni may hit or attack someone who walks alone at night.

According to J. P. Fabricius (22 January 1711 – 23 January 1791), the term muni refers to:

“an ascetic… a sage… Buddha… a devil, a ghost…”

He even quotes villagers using the phrase:

முனிபிடித்த மரம் — muṉi-piṭitta maram — “a tree haunted by a muni.”

In fact, the Kanda ṣaṣṭi kavacam composed in the 19th century talks about fearful Munis, describing them as uncontrollable trouble-causing beings that even eat babies.

There is a famous ritual in Tamil villages referred to as ratta cōṟu — “blood rice” offering. In this ritual, cooked rice is mixed with blood. Boluses of this blood rice are flung up into the sky. The ritual is considered successful if the flung rice does not fall back to the ground. It is taken as a sign that the bali was consumed by the Muni.

These Munis are themselves worshiped, probably not out of devotion, but out of fear. Historically, some offerings are given to malevolent spirits not as devotion, but as a ritual to appease them and keep them at bay.

The deity Muniāṇḍi is the controller of these Munis. If you notice folk songs, the Muniāṇḍi deities are described as powerful and ferocious deities who control and chase away ghosts.

Video: At 3.20 minutes onwards, you can see the description of Muniāṇḍi as the One who controls and subdues the malevolent restless ghosts

The question is: why is the term “Muni” used to refer to malevolent spirits? When I discussed this with my cousin Sharmalan Thevar (www.sharmalanthevar.blogspot.com), he highlighted a mind-blowing theory which makes sense.

This is an assumption from us; a possibility. As referenced earlier, many of the saints who were referred to as Muni came from the Jain and Buddhist traditions. When the Śaiva movement came to power in ancient Tamiḻakam around the 7th century, many Jains and Buddhists were persecuted. If you look at the Periya Purāṇam, Jainism is regarded as a false religion. The Jains are seen as evil magicians. In fact, the traditional Śaivas considered themselves to be sinful if they came into proximity with a Jain or Buddhist.

In the Periya Purāṇam, you can find a reference to Appar (Tirunāvukkaracar) purifying himself from the apparent “sin” of eating Jain food.

So, the spirit of a Jain monk could have been recognised as an “evil ghost”

because of this. Therefore, the term Muni, which was used largely for Jains and Buddhists, could have gradually become corrupted, as the saints themselves were regarded as anti-God.

If you look at ancient Tamiḻ literature, the term Muni was never associated with a spirit. Muni being a village ghost exists only in later Tamil folk texts and village songs. It is also possible that the term 'Muni' was then blatantly used to denote any malevolent spirit because of this. I mean, even Raghava Lawrence literally made a blockbuster horror franchise movie with the term 'Muni'.

Image: Munīśvara in my alma mater, AIMST University. 

I also personally feel that the reference to Muni being a “child-predator” in the Kanda ṣaṣṭi Kavacam could be referring to evil occult practitioners who performed child sacrifice. And remember, the Jain monks were mistreated as evil magicians by the Bhakti movement at one point of time. 

I think that, over time, the varying ideas of the deity and its worship became amalgamated into the version of worship that we have today.

Nutshell

Today, the Munīśvara you find in villages or temples could house a siddha or a sage. Again, “saint” does not mean non-protective. A saint can also be ferocious and protective. There are many siddha-s who smoke cigar and use abusive words.

It could also be a form of Rudra, who controls and subdues malevolent spirits and ghosts.

It could also be a malevolent spirit itself, worshipped to keep it at bay.

So I would advise you to understand the contemporary positions of Munīśvara to gain clarity. Try to investigate the history of the particular deity or temple that you are visiting.

I do that, and it helps me understand things better. For example, the Vaidyanātha Munīśvara temple in Perak houses a deity who is a Siddha, according to the temple founder.

There are also some run-down shrines which house literally nothing but a roaming spirit, worshiped under the false banner of Munīśvara .

Read More:

(1) History of Karuppar

(2) Not All Temples Have A Deity - It Could Be A Spirit