South Indian Bronzes: A Historical Survey of South Indian Sculpture with Iconographical Notes Based on Original Sources c7.17

c7.17

The period which followed the advent of the famous poet-saints above-named marked the outburst of Saivaite fervour and fanaticism which found such enthusiastic support under the Chola kings. It has been justly said that modern Saivaism in South India may be said to date from the time of these Saiva saints and is intimately bound up with their memories, glories and deeds of piety. Only those temples that have been hymned by them in their sacred verses (*pedal petta sthalam* as the phrase goes), are now held sacred. Shortly after their death they were canonized and their images were set up in all the important Saivaite temples and divine honours began to be paid to them. In almost every temple special feasts have been associated with them and the greatest feasts in Southern India, the Magiladi feast in Tirivottiyur, the Aruvattumuvar feast in Maylapur, the Arundra feast in Chidambaram and the Avanimulam feast in Madura are all held in their honour. These Saiva *Acharyas*, or *Adiyars* as they are called, in attempting to popularise in the shape of their divine songs the philosophic teachings of the Saiva Agama Siddhanta emphasized personal devotion and service in preference to rituals and formulas and " have lent a catholicity to the Saiva form of worship which invited within its fold all classes of persons without any distinction of caste or creeds. They preached that religion and learning were not the property of only a few favoured classes but it was that of all and everybody." Hence we find among the list of the 73 Saivaite Adiyars only 14 Brahmins the rest having been contributed by the other five castes. The works of these Acharyas were not metaphysical but altogether devotional. "They spoke as the mouth-piece of the whole Hindu people representing Hinduism as a whole against the attacks of the enemies of Hinduism." Their teachings and their hymns bore their fruits during the following centuries from the 9th to the 13th when the wave of Saiva fanaticism practically swept over the whole of South India and part of Ceylon, the strength and magnitude of which could only be compared to the outburst of Buddhism under Asoka and of Vaishnavism under Chaitannya. There are evidences to show that Saivaism of South India of this period spread its influence as far as Java. Old temples were recovered from the Jains and new and larger shrines and temples were constructed. The strings of temples which were built during this period by the Saivaite princes of the Chola dynasties constitute one of the best schools of Indian architecture. The patronage which the Chola princes accorded to religious sculpture was no less than that given to architecture. It may be supposed that the primitive *linga* could hardly afford any scope to the sculptors' art. One is surprised to find, however, the innumerable forms and conceptions of Siva, Pārvati, Subramanya and other deities which were associated with the Saiva cult in South India. They have supplied an ever-increasing array of Saivaite images a complete iconography of which, no doubt borrowed from the Saiva scriptures and *purānas*, are incorporated in the Sanskrit handbooks for image-makers.