I have heard of this concept of aiyanar being an another word for aiyappan.. sometimes I beg to differ..
people who know aiyappan legend can enlighten us about the wives of aiyappan.. As aiyanaar is always picturisied as having 2 wives and this picturisation is almost similar across most of tamilnadu(please correct me, I have seen in 2 places - Thanjavur (my native place) and Rajapalayam(my wife's native place).
Grama devatas & family devatas are generally more blessing than other gods and we have a history behind their origins... as protectors and benevolent individuals who care for their folks.
In many villages, earlier police-men have formed part of the protector legends.
hi all the habit of worshipping some grama devathas with cigars is happening. frequently. i wonder when it started taking into account that tobacco came into india 350 years back only