Elements of Hindu Iconography v1.c7.142

v1.c7.142

this is distinctly of a later date. This latter version requires the *Drāviḍa-vēdas*, that is, the *Prabandhas* of the *Śrīvaishṇavas*, to be sung in front of divine processions during festivals, while the Sanskrit *Vēdas* are to be recited at the end of the procession; in fact both the elements of this rule are observed among the *Śrīvaishṇavas* even at the present day. The age of the *Āḷvārs*, or the *Śrīvaishṇava* saints, has been fairly satisfactorily established to be between the beginning of the 8th and the end of the 9th century of the Christian era. When we meet with a reference to the works of these *Āḷvārs*, as the *Drāviḍa-vēdas*, there is nothing to prevent us from concluding that the *Vaikhānasāgama*, as it is in verse, is certainly not older than the 9th century, A.D.