Lord Ayyappa

Hindu deity Ayyappa, also known as Dharmasastha and Manikandan, is well-known in Southern India. He is regarded as the pinnacle of dharma, truth, and righteousness and is frequently invoked to destroy evil.

In South India, devotion to Ayyappa has long been common, but it wasn't until the late 20th century that he became more well-known. He is the son of Harihara, according to Hindu faith (Vishnu in the form of Mohini and Shiva). Other names for Ayyappa include Ayyappa, Sabarinath, Hariharasudhan, Manikandan, Shasta or Dharma Shasta, and Sastavu.

Ayyappa is portrayed in iconography as a dashing, celibate (Brahmachari) deity who does yoga and is the ideal of Dharma and who wears a bell around his neck. Muslims in Kerala also revere him, according to traditions about how Ayyappa subdued and won the worship of Muslim outlaw Vavar. He was born with the abilities of Shiva and Vishnu, according to the Hindu mythology practiced along India's Western Ghats, to face and vanquish the terrible Buffalo monster Mahishi. He was fostered by Rajashekara Indian and Koperundevi, a childless royal couple, and develops into a warrior yogi who champions moral and dharmic behavior. Ayyappa is typically depicted riding a tigress in South Indian art, however in some countries, like Sri Lanka, he is seen on a white elephant.