South Indian Bronzes: A Historical Survey of South Indian Sculpture with Iconographical Notes Based on Original Sources c7.6

c7.6

Overthrow of Buddhism. It must be remembered that although Saivaism had an earlier history in South India, the period of struggle between Buddhism and Brahmanism (between 500 to 800 A.D.) really represents a general rise of orthodox Hinduism as opposed to a mere Saiva revival. For during this period the adherents of the Vaishnava as well as the Saiva faith have been fighting their battle for mastery against the then prevailing faith of Buddhism and Jainism, and we find constant references to both Pallava and Chola Kings endowing Saivaite as well as Vaishnava shrines which did not assume antagonistic relations until later times under the Cholas. The pioneer of this revival of the orthodox Hindu faith was no doubt the great Saivaite Saint Manikkavacagar who by his life-long struggle against the Buddhists gained the title of “the hammer of the Buddhists”. The music of Manikkavacagar’s melting lyric—the famous *Tiruvācagam* and the faith and fervour which they expressed have for centuries continued to thrill with rapturous emotion the teeming millions of the Tamil country. To the Tamils, Manikkavacagar has always been the saint ‘whose words are precious rubies.’ He was born at Tiruvadavur in the Melur Taluk of Madura, and lived about the sixth century A.D. His famous hymns are still recited in many a Saivaite temple in South India. The story of his spiritual regeneration is well-known. He was the prime minister to a Pandyan King of Madura, and was commissioned by his sovereign to purchase a stud of horses for royal use and it is in that trip that his conversion took place at Tiru-Perum-turai. He was attracted to a grove by the chants of the sacred Saiva Agama where he found his spiritual guru who was no other than Siva himself in the guise of a great sage who at once initiated him. He cast off his rich garments and put on the humble covering of the meek ascetic and smeared himself with ‘holy ashes’ which, as Tiru-jnan Sambandha tells us, symbolize ‘deliverance from desire.’ The story of his spiritual struggle and triumph is told in the graceful verses of the Tiruvacagam one of the cardinal teachings of which is the cult of Bhakti the path of love and the direct operation of Divine grace in the redemption of human soul. “The work is a veritable ‘Pilgrims’ Progress’ from the alluring bondage of the flesh to final emancipation from embodiment.” The passage describing the final consummation is worth quoting :—