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Māri ((タミル語:மாரி)), also known as Mariamman ((タミル語:மாரியம்மன்)) and Mariaai (Marathi: मरी आई), both meaning "Mother Mari", spelt also Maariamma ((タミル語:மாரியம்மா)), or simply Amman or Aatha ((タミル語:அம்மன்), "mother") is the South Indian Hindu goddess of rain. She is the main South Indian mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Māri is closely associated with the Hindu goddesses Parvati〔"ஆயி உமையானவளே ஆதிசிவன் தேவியரே" (Oh Mother Uma, Consort of Siva!) - Mariamman Thalattu, Goddess Mari Prayer.〕 and Durga〔"The truthful Kali who guarded the homesteads sat with her, The Kali sat together with Durga continuously with her" _Mariamman Lullaby ()〕 as well as with her North Indian counterpart Shitaladevi. Goddess Mariamman is considered by many to be the South Indian Incarnation of Goodess Kali. It is said that when Kali went to Southern India as Mariamman, Bhairava followed her as Madurai Veeran. Festivities for her happen during the late summer, early autumn season of "Aadi". Throughout the Tamil Nadu and deccan region, grand festival known as "Aadi Thiruvizha" are taken for Maariamman. Her worship mainly focuses on bringing rains and curing diseases like cholera, smallpox, and chicken pox. She is worshipped in accordance to the local agamas as "Pidari" or the "Grama Devata" usually by non-Brahmin priests or in some cases of big temples like Samayapuram Maariamman temple, also by Brahmin priests. According to shaktha agamas, she is depicted in sitting posture and might be flanked some times by Ganesha and Subramaniya or Ganesha and Naaga on her sides. She is usually taken in procession in a decorated chariot. ==Origin== Mariamman is an Tamil folk goddess, whose worship probably originated in pre-vedic India. She is the main Tamil mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu. Māri is closely associated with the Hindu goddesses Parvati〔"ஆயி உமையானவளே ஆதிசிவன் தேவியரே" (Oh Mother Uma, Consort of Siva!) - Mariamman Thalattu, Goddess Mari Prayer.〕 and Durga〔"The truthful Kali who guarded the homesteads sat with her, The Kali sat together with Durga continuously with her" _Mariamman Lullaby ()〕 as well as with her North Indian counterpart Shitaladevi and Eastern Indian counterpart Manasa. Goddess Mariamman and Goddess Kali are closely associated with each other. The cult of the mother goddess is treated as an indication of a society which venerated femininity. This mother goddess was conceived as a virgin, one who has given birth to all and one. The temples of the Sangam days, mainly of Madurai, seem to have had priestesses to the deity, which also appear predominantly a goddess. In the Sangam literature, there is an elaborate description of the rites performed by the Kurava priestess in the shrine Palamutircholai. In Tamil, the word 'Maari' would mean rain and 'amman' would literally mean mother but here "mother nature.". She was believed and worshipped by the ancient Tamils to bring rain and hence prosperity to them as their vegetation was mainly dependent upon rain. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mariamman」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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