Lalitha Thozhan

The 'earth' without 'art' is just 'eh'

[umfiodeprata]

AI art and humanity

[auroralunaclothing]

[all-izz-not-well]

dance classes are so wholesome.

disheveled dance sarees, bindis skittered away from the centre of the forehead, heaving breaths after having completed a jati, that first gulp of water after class feeling like amrit, the sense of satisfaction after executing an item you learnt in class flawlessly

[lalithathozhan2]

[hestiashearthfire]

I am of the opinion that all the gods and goddesses will sit and have a warm drink with you if you invite them. (I was going to say “have tea,” but I imagine coffee works just as well.)

[lalithathozhan2]

[maceofpentacles]

on the topic of deities and spirit guides, this may be a lukewarm take at this point but you can totally have casual/friendly relationships with any entity. yes, even deities.

as long as you communicate with them and you respect their wishes, you can be besties with them.

ares and i are tight, we’re best friends tbh, but i also respect that we can be serious when we need to be. these things can coexist.

[mmchimken]

the legend of alli raani, the tamizh princess who hated men

alli raani, otherwise known as alli arasi, is an ancient ilankaian tamil princess that was very well known for her hatred of men. she has a name which directly translates to “lily queen/princess” and is celebrated among some tamils in eelam/sri lanka (especially in the northeastern province). she even has a fort in mannar that is named after her! the story of alli raani is mentioned in multiple forms of sangam literature, meaning ancient tamil literature. 

alli raani is mostly known for her feminine power as she led an army of only women while men were her servants. she was not born through natural birth! instead, she was given to her parents by the gods, seated on a lily flower, after the end of a putrakameshti ritual (where the newly married parents pray for a child). alli raani is the daughter of a pandyan king and hence ruled over jaffna, eelam, for quite a period of time. she was worshipped by her people due to her kindness, beauty, alertness, and consideration for their needs.

when she was young, she was sent to a gurukulam where she was taught martial arts and eventually perfected it. in her later years, when three evil brothers came to forcefully take away her father’s throne, alli raani defeated them with her skills and has hated men ever since. after this incident she was coronated and crowned as queen of madurai. even then, she refused to get married, saying that she despised all men except her father. 

according to local folktales, alli raani used to proceed from kudiramalai to akkaraipattu by land. a humungous flood submerged most of the land subsequently leaving aradasi, the place where she lived, on a narrow split of land, forming the present puttalam lagoon and destroying her palace. despite the sad ending to this legend, alli raani is in fact believed to be an incarnation of meenakshi or kannagi, who are both strong feminine demigods in tamil-shaivite legends. due to this we can assume that maybe her death was meant for her to return to the heavens, and who knows? perhaps among this generation of young tamil women, we have our own alli raani, making a huge impact for women all around the world.