A spirit house is a shrine to the protective spirit of a place that is found in the Southeast Asian countries of Burma , Cambodia , Laos , Thailand , Malaysia , Indonesia , Vietnam and the Philippines . They are normally in the form of small roofed structure mounted on a pillar or a dais , and can range in size from small platforms to houses large enough for people to enter. Spirit houses are intended to provide a shelter for spirits that could cause problems for the people if not appeased. They often include images or carved statues of people and animals. Votive offerings are left at them to propitiate the spirits; more elaborate installations include an altar for this purpose.
17-583: Spirit House may refer to: Spirit house , a miniature house for spirits in Southeast Asia Spirit house (Dakelh) , a ritual structure among the Dakelh of British Columbia, Canada Spirit House (Georgetown, New York) , a historic house in Georgetown, New York, US Spirit House (album) , an album by Jemeel Moondoc The Spirit House ,
34-585: A 1993 young-adult novel by William Sleator Spirit House , a 2011 book by Mark Dapin Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Spirit House . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spirit_House&oldid=895262198 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
51-503: A glass of water which promptly tints the water red. Sweetness is explained by the observation that sweet spirits naturally have sweet tooths. Parts of spirit houses include Madurai Veeran Madurai Veeran , also known as Veeran, is a Tamil Hindu folk deity popular in southern Tamil Nadu , India. His name literally means, "warrior of Madurai". According to the Maduraiveeraswamikathai text, Veeran
68-454: A link between the concept and the concept of an Earth Temple dedicated to a landlord deity or a Tudigong In Tamil Nadu , spirit houses and shrines house local tutelary spirits , guardian deities, and deified ancestors who derive from ancient Dravidian animistic beliefs . They tend to be located on the periphery of villages, known as the "katu," due to the belief that these spirits are "too dangerous and unpredictable to [have] reside in
85-645: A result of countless Tamils falling into the British Raj's indenture system , these shrines have spread throughout the Indian diaspora. In Kerala, each family home complex (for Nairs and Ezhavas ), known as a tharavadu , has a spirit house located towards the northeast corner. Known as "kavu" or " sarpa kavukal ," these shrines consist of a small grove with symbolic houses and carved stone effigies of guardian nagas , and other "gods, spirits, yakshi , [or] ancestors." The Malayali people traditionally believe that
102-407: A traitor's death for Veeran, who was taken to the gallows and had his alternate hands and legs chopped off ( marukkal marukkai ). Hearing of this, Bommi and Vellaiyammal went to the gallows to see the severed limbs and chastise the king for his injustice. The legend says that Veeran is brought back to life, by his limbs joined back miraculously, by the virtues of both these women and is vindicated by
119-540: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Spirit house In mainland Southeast Asia , most houses and businesses have a spirit house placed in an auspicious spot, most often in a corner of the property. The location may be chosen after consultation with a Brahmin priest. Spirit houses are known as နတ်စင် ( nat sin ) or နတ်ကွန်း ( nat kun ) in Burmese; ศาลพระภูมิ ( san phra phum , 'house of
136-446: Is red, strawberry-flavoured Fanta . The idea seems to be that friendly spirits will congregate to enjoy free food and drink and their presence will serve to keep more malign spirits at bay. The popularity of red Fanta offerings has existed for decades. Opinions as to "why Fanta?" vary. Most point to the significance of the colour red, reminiscent of animal sacrifice , or perhaps related to the practice of anchoring red incense sticks in
153-467: The Natya Shastra (tenets of dancing). The king, who was himself attracted to Vellaiyammal, did not appreciate this development and viewed this as an affair. Some of his generals, who hated the closeness of Veeran to the king, used the opportunity to inform the king that the delay in suppressing the robbers was deliberate, as Veeran was conniving with the robbers themselves. Furious, the king ordered
170-459: The construction and maintenance of these sacred shrines keeps tutelary spirits docile and can even serve as atonement for "angry serpent gods [who were]... left unattended." Spirits of the kavu are most commonly offered "raw rice, unbroken coconut fruits, betel leaves, and areca nut," as well as an "oil lamp in front of the deity at dusk." Occasionally, these kavu serve as locations for shamanistic rituals known as "pampin kalam" where mediums channel
187-432: The deities and perform sacred rites around hand-drawn mandalas made from coloured powder. In Cambodia, the most common offering are fruits (e.g. banana, orange, grape; some people even offer different fruits at the same time.) In neighbouring Thailand however, it is a long-standing tradition to leave offerings of food and drink at the spirit house. Rice, bananas, coconuts, and desserts are common offerings. Most ubiquitous
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#1732772290178204-1392: The guardian spirit') in Thai; and រានព្រះភូមិ ( rean preah phum , 'shrine for the guardian-spirit') or រានទេវតា ( rean taveda ) in Khmer. In maritime Southeast Asia , spirit houses are connected to the various traditional animistic rituals involving spirits. In the Philippines, spirit houses are dedicated to ceremonies or offerings involving the anito spirits. They are also referred to as shrines. They are known magdantang in Visayan; ulango or simbahan in Tagalog; tangpap , pangkew , or alalot (for various small roofed altars), and balaua or kalangan (for larger structures) in Itneg; maligai in Subanen; tenin in Tiruray; and buis (for those built near roads and villages) and parabunnian (for those built near rice fields) in Bagobo. In Chinese Spirit houses are called 土地神屋 or Tudigong House, representing
221-488: The latter defeated the army and killed Bommanna. The two then fled to Tiruchirappalli , where Veeran was requested by the local king to defeat bandits terrorising his people, which he did so successfully and famously. His fame brought him to Madurai , which was also troubled by bandits. Thirumala Nayakar requested Veeran to help him. Veeran then met Vellaiyammal, a royal dancer, who was attracted to him because of his looks and skill in various arts. She asked him to teach her
238-487: The presence of gods. Veeran thereafter retires to a cave beneath what is now the Meenakshi Amman Temple . Other versions of the tale say that Veeran and Velaiyammal attempted to elope but were caught by the guards. Mistaken for a bandit, he faced the punishment of dismemberment. Both Bommi and Velaiyammal prayed to the goddess Meenakshi that he regain his limbs, which he did. But he believed he must die by
255-511: The village... and seem to be disturbed by the sounds of village life." Many of these spirit houses are dedicated to the spirit of a deified hero, especially— Madurai Veeran , Karuppuswami , or Aiyanar . Offerings of bananas, coconuts, oil lamps, meat, and alcohol are routinely left at these shrines to ensure the health and safety of the village. This starkly contrasts the Vedic Hindu practice of only offering vegetarian foods to deities. As
272-429: The will of the goddess, and he cut his own head off with his sword, dying thereafter. Both Bommi and Vellaiyammal threw themselves into his funeral pyre, and the king was sorrowful once he learnt his true identity. Veeran then prayed to Goddess Meenakshi to ritualize his death properly. Veeran is then reborn as a member of the lower class, disrupting normal life in a dream of the king, and troubles ensue in real life. When
289-469: Was born to aristocratic parents and was abandoned, and later adopted by a couple from the Arunthathiyar community. He grew up among them and became a guard in the court of King Bommanna Nayakan. When on duty as a guard of the chieftain's daughter Bommi, he fell in love with her. At night, he sneaked up to her room, and the two eloped. During their escape, Bommanna Nayakan led an army after Veeran, and
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