The Ancient and Medieval Architecture of India: A Study of Indo-Aryan Civilisation c14.3

c14.3

Whatever century historians may assume to be the beginning of the period when the followers of orthodox Hinduism who took either Vishnu or Siva as their patron deity (*Ishta-dêva*) began to be sufficiently numerous and powerful in the State to take political and social precedence over other sects, it is certain that the philosophical and dogmatic differences typical of Vaishnavism and Saivism not only belonged to Buddhism, but prevailed in the earlier schools of Indo-Aryan thought. They were probably very much the same as those which in Greek philosophy distinguished the Epicureans from the Stoics.