Aaron T. 2023 | BASIS Independent Silicon Valley
- Project Title: Divinity through Tamil History
- BASIS Independent Advisor: Manisha Banga
- Onsite Mentor: Shyam Ramachandran
India has not always followed the modern Hinduism we know today. It has evolved, changed, and adapted throughout the centuries. One example is in South India, specifically in Tamil Nadu. There has been evidence of an ancient religion practiced by Dravidians, an ancient ethnic group that continues through South Indian ethnic groups like Malayalees, Tamils, Telugus, etc. The religion of ancient Dravidians slowly adapted and their gods slowly merged into the gods in the Hindu Pantheon. And while this adaptation has been recorded in scholarships and journals, the process of these gods merging with their modern counterparts has not been explained. My project will answer that question and fill in this gap in Indian history. It explains the slow and gradual process of the transformation of three Tamil gods: Korravai, Malon, and Seyon to their modern-Hindu counterparts: Durga, Vishnu, and Murugan/Karthikeya through art and literature. My project also explores teaching this subject to the masses: Tamil communities and historians, as well as kids in lower schools which helps shed light on Indian history and culture which seems to be forgotten. In order to do this, I am reading different Dravidian and Hindu texts and art pieces and compare them with each other. I am speaking with professors in these fields and ask them about these topics. My results are documented in my research paper and potentially will be published. I am also setting up days to create a presentation and teach these findings to young students as well as Tamil communities.