Aravan worshipped at Sri Mariamman Temple, Singapore. A cobra hood is sheltering Aravan's head.
Devanagari
इरावान्
Sanskrit transliteration
Irāvāṇ
Tamil
அரவான்
Affiliation
Nāga
Weapon
Sword, Bow and Arrows
Parents
Ulupi (mother) Arjuna (father)
Consort
Krishna in his Mohini form
Iravan also known as Iravat[1] and Iravant, is a minor character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The son of Pandava prince Arjuna (one of the main heroes of the Mahabharata) and the Naga princess Ulupi, Iravan is the central deity of the cult of Kuttantavar (Kuttandavar) which is also the name commonly given to him in that tradition—and plays a major role in the sect of Draupadi. Both these sects are of Tamil origin, from a region of the country where he is worshipped as a village deity and is known as Aravan. He is also a patron god of well-known transgender communities called Alis (also Aravani in Tamil, and Hijra throughout South Asia).[2]
The Mahabharata portrays Iravan as dying a heroic death on the 8th day of the 18-day Kurukshetra War (Mahabharata war), the epic's main subject. However, the South Indian traditions have a supplementary practice of honouring Aravan's self-sacrifice to the goddess Kali to ensure her favour and the victory of the Pandavas in the war. The Kuttantavar tradition focuses on one of the three boons granted to Aravan by the god Krishna in honour of this self-sacrifice. Aravan requested that he be married before his death. Krishna satisfied this boon in his female form, Mohini. In Koovagam, Tamil Nadu, this incident is re-enacted in an 18-day festival, first by a ceremonial marriage of Aravan to Alis and male villagers (who have taken vows to Aravan) and then by their widowhood after ritual re-enactment of Aravan's sacrifice.
The Draupadi tradition emphasizes another boon: Krishna allows Aravan to witness the entire duration of the Mahabharata war through the eyes of his severed head. In another 18-day festival, the ceremonial head of Aravan is hoisted on a post to witness the ritual re-enactment of the Mahabharata war. The head of Aravan is a common motif in Draupadi temples. Often it is a portable wooden head; sometimes it even has its own shrine in the temple complex or is placed on the corners of temple roofs as a guardian against spirits. Aravan is worshipped in the form of his severed head and is believed to cure disease and induce pregnancy in childless women.
Iravan is also known in Indonesia (where his name is spelled Irawan). An independent set of traditions have developed around Irawan on the main island of Java where, for example, he loses his association with the Naga. Separate Javanese traditions present a dramatic marriage of Irawan to Titisari, daughter of Krishna, and a death resulting from a case of mistaken identity. These stories are told through the medium of traditional Javanese theatre (Wayang), especially in shadow-puppet plays known as Wayang Kulit.
^Sörensen (1902) p. 345 indexes the name as Irāvat.
^Somasundaram O, S (January–March 2009). "Transgenderism: Facts and fictions". Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 51 (1): 73–75. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.44917. PMC 2738402. PMID 19742192.
Iravan also known as Iravat and Iravant, is a minor character from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The son of Pandava prince Arjuna (one of the main heroes...
(daughter of Mura). The gods (ashtadeva) gave him the three infallible arrows. Iravan Parmeshwaranand, Swami (2001). Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Puranas. Sarup...
Kurukshetra War, he fought from the Kaurava side. During the war, he defeated Iravan, son of Pandava prince Arjuna. Later, Alambusha was killed by Bhima's son...
and married Arjuna when he was in exile, and with whom she bore his son Iravan. She played a major part in the upbringing of Babruvahana, Arjuna's son...
Azərbaycanın İrəvan bölgəsinin tarixindən(XVII yüzilliyin sonu–XIX yüzilliyin ortalarında). pp. 57–58. Sərdariniya, Sərdariniya (2014). İrəvan müsəlman sakinli...
The Iravan Gate or the Khalfali Gate (Azerbaijani: İrəvan qapısı or Xəlfəli qapısı, Armenian: Երևանի դարպաս or Խալֆալի դարպաս, Persian: دروازه ایروان...
his four wives, Arjuna had four sons, one from each wife — Shrutakarma, Iravan, Babhruvahana and Abhimanyu. During his second exile, Arjuna gained many...
half and full paternal brothers, 3 of whom - Abhimanyu, Ghatotkacha and Iravan, also fought in the War. All 8 of these brothers perished in the battle...
(April/May). The festival takes place at the Koothandavar Temple dedicated to Iravan (Koothandavar). The participants marry the Lord Koothandavar, thus reenacting...
occupation of the northern shore of Lake Gokcha (Sivan) in the Khanate of Iravan in 1825. A clear violation of Golestan, this action was the most significant...
Iravani (lit. "from Iravan", aka, Yerevan) is a common surname in Iran, Azerbaijan and to a much lesser extent in the rest of the Caucasus. Haji-Mollah...
detail the origin of various figures in Hindu scriptures, like Agathiyar, Iravan, and Patanjali. Ancient Tamil literature contains mentions of nature-based...
the Khan's palace in Iravan. The residential complex belonging to Panah Khan, the son of Suleyman Khan, a member of the Iravan City Duma, a college advisor...
ISBN 5-8020-0852-0. "Mətbuat | İRƏVAN ŞƏHƏRİ". iravan.preslib.az. Retrieved 2023-06-16. Əsgər Zeynalov (2016). İrəvan xanlığı… gerçəkliyin aydınlığı....
of India. 1 October 2017. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 July 2023. "JK's IRavan gets a release date". The New Indian Express. 3 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June...
Azerbaijan Pedagogical Technical College (Azerbaijani: İrəvan Azərbaycan Pedaqoji Məktəbi; İrəvan Azərbaycan Pedaqoji Texnikumu, 1924 — 1948) was the technical...
shares a strong bond of friendship with Iravan. He's an elephant. He is voiced by Damandeep Singh Baggan Iravan: Iravan is a 10-year-old prince of Gajrajpuri...
Qarayev, Elçin. Azərbaycanın İrəvan bölgəsinin tarixindən (XVII yüzilliyin sonu–XIX yüzilliyin ortalarında). pp. 61–62. İrəvan xanlığı. Rusiya işğalı və...
in a duel, as did Arjuna's son Abhimanyu. But Alamvusha in turn killed Iravan, Arjuna's son by a Nāga princess Ulupi, when the Rakshasa used his powers...
was under Turkic and later Persian rule, the city was known in Persian as Iravân (Persian: ایروان). The city was officially known as Erivan (Russian: Эривань)...
northern group: Zakataly, Nukha, and Kutkashen; (4) southern group: Yerevan (Īravān), Nakhichevan (Naḵjavān), and Ordubad (Ordūbād); (5) central group: Ganja...
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