The Hindu culture is a texture woven out of the Aryan warp and the Dravidian wool. Goddess Mariamman is an excellent example of such a phenomenon. Mariamman is one of the most popular village goddesses of Tamilnadu. The word Amman means Mother and the word Maari means either rain or smallpox. People usually worshipped her to ward off smallpox which, in days of the non-existence of the vaccination took a heavy toll on the population. To appease the Goddess, people sacrificed goats, sheep, and cocks. She was also worshipped by the ancient Dravidian people to bring rain and fertility and hence prosperity to them. Mariamman is a mother, guide, friend, and God to Tamil women and heals all the illnesses associated with redness, heat, and rashes, including chickenpox and measles.
