Aiyanar or Shasta is a Hindu deity particularly praised by the Malayalis and Tamil speaking community of India and Sri Lanka. Sinhalese worship him in the name of Ayyanayake and in. He is primarily worshiped as one of the guardian folk deities of Tamil Nadu. The village temples of Ayyanar are usually flanked by gigantic and colorful statues of him and his companions riding horses or elephants. He is primarily worshiped as a guardian deity who protects villages from external threats. Horses are a must in every Ayanar temple in every villages... big horses are fixed fixtures in temples. In Ayyanaar Temples, horses are sculpted with great care.
கானாடுகாத்தான் கரைமேல் அழகர் ஸ்ரீ அய்யனார் கோவில் சிறப்புகள் - Kanadukathan Sri Ayyanar Temple
