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STORIES · THE MAHĀBHĀRATA · Tamil · regional retelling
Aravan's head becomes the child Kuttantavar
Variant
The head that 'watched the whole war' became a god-child who slew a demon.
After Aravan is beheaded his head is dropped in a river and becomes a child, Carapalan or Kuttan, found by the king of Chandragiri. Later he kills the demon Kuttacuran and is called Kuttantavar. The cult rites include carrying the head through the village, a weeping ground where Aravanis mourn, and an 18th-day coronation. In the Draupadi cult the head is instead mounted on a post to watch the ritual re-enactment of the war.
Who: Aravan, Kuttantavar, Kuttacuran
Bound to
Aravan's three boons and the Kali sacrifice causes
Barbarika: the head that watched the war (Khatu Shyam) mirror
Draupadi's cult at Gingee and the buffalo king Pothuraja located-at
Places: Koovagam, Tamil Nadu, Chandragiri
Where this comes from
See it on the tree · All stories
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