HISTORY. Subject : History (For under graduate student) Paper No. : Paper - 1 History of Ancient India

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1 History of India 1 HISTORY Subject : History (For under graduate student) Paper No. : Paper - 1 History of Ancient India Topic No. & Title : Topic - 11 Peninsular India Lecture No. & Title : Lecture 2E Religion in South India FAQs 1. What is the Bhakti Movement? Between the 6th and the 9th centuries there was the emergence of a religious literary movement, which was known as the Bhakti movement. It is generally accepted that the Bhakti movement rose in this period with the rise of the Saivite Nayanar and Vaishnavite Alvar saints, with their intense devotional aspirations to meet the Godhead through a relationship of love.

2 History of India 2 2. What are Paripatal and Tirumurukkaruppatai? Paripatal and Tirumurukkaruppatai were classical texts of South India. In Paripatal we find that Mal/Mayon is later coalesced with the concept of Vishnu with whom there was the concept of wholesome surrender. In Tirumurukkaruppatai we find the concept of pilgrimage, where the follower or the disciple is going from place to place in search of Murugan, the deity who was earlier confined to the Kurinchi tinai but was later getting universalized. 3. What is the most distinctive feature of South Indian classical religion? The history of Hinduism in Tamil Nadu can be seen as a confluence of two streams, that of indigenous belief systems and that of northern Sanskritic traditions that had already permeated the south by the Sangam period of Tamil anthologies. From a survey of the Sangam poems it is clear that the poets were aware of the Sanskrit gods and deities and though Shiva and Vishnu were not given prominence they were alluded to.

3 History of India 3 Moreover we come across the pastoral deity Mal being coalesced with Vishnu-Krishna. 4. What is ananku? Ananku is a kind malevolent force, which was generally available within the woman. It was believed that this was also a divine attribute and could be used for benevolent purposes. But in certain circumstances it needed to be chastised. If she was married it worked in favour of the husband, but if a woman was unmarried or was a widowed person, ananku could even destroy a whole city. 5. Who were Nayanars and Alvars? The Nayanars were Saivite devotional poets of Tamil Nadu; active between the 5 th and the 10 th centuries CE Alvars means those immersed in God. They were Tamil Vaishnavite poet saints who lived between the 6 th and 9 th centuries CE, and espoused a relationship of emotional devotion, or love for Lord Vishnu in their songs of longing, ecstasy and service.

4 History of India 4 6. Who was Appar? Appar was one of the most important Shaivite bhakti saints or Nayanars and was also one of the three or muvars. Appar was born in an orthodox Hindu family but was attracted to Jainism from the beginning and became a staunch follower of Jain philosophy and came to be known as Dharmasena. Later however he realized that he was blessed by Shiva and reconverted to Saivite belief. 7. Who was Sammandar? Sammandar was an important Saivite bhakti saint or Nayanar and was also one of the three or muvars. He was known as Tirugyanasammandar who hailed from a Brahmin family in Shiyali in Tanjore district. His father came to realize the divine power that had been bestowed upon his son at an early age and took him on his shoulder on different pilgrimages.

5 History of India 5 8. What were the differences in the way of worship between the three Shaivite saints or muvars? If we compare the way of worship among the three Saivite saints or muvars we find that Appar worshipped Shiva as a slave of God; Sammandar believed himself to be a child of God; whereas Sunderar preferred the role of considering himself a friend of God. 9. What was the importance of the temple institutions in South India? Temple institutions were the direct offshoot of the devotional Bhakti religion. The belief that God was universal but took a particular form in a particular site, gave rise to the concept of Sthalapuranas. The Agamasastras, which were elaborate temple rituals, became predominant in this period. Some of the temples were patronized by, the ruling family like the temple complexes of Mahabalipuram, the Kailasheshwar temple, the Vaikunthaperamul temple and the Shiva temple in Kanchi. These temples got huge endowments because of which they became very rich. Some temples were related to important religious functions where the

6 History of India 6 Nayanmars and Alvars sang songs for the sake of divine grace and benevolence. 10. Why did the heretical sects become nonfunctional? The bhakti saints drew the masses towards them by their songs and poems. The violent and virulent condemnation of these bhakti saint poets of the heretical sects gradually reduced the appeal of Buddhism and Jainism and made them non-functional. The Buddhist institutions gradually faded away though the Jain institutions continued to flourish in some pockets in South India.