Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c29.s1: I. Śaiva Saints

Elements of Hindu Iconography v4.c29.s1

Language: English

I. Śaiva Saints

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| No. | Name. | Caste. | Occupation. | Place of birth. |
| 1 | Tirujñānasambandha. | Brāhmaṇa. | Temple priest. | Shiyāli (Tanjore). |
| 2 | Tillai Brāhmaṇas ... | Do. | Do. | Chidambaram. |
| 3 | Kalaya-nāyaṉār ... | Do. | Do. | Tirukkaḍavūr. |
| 4 | Muruga-nāyaṉār ... | Do. | | Tiruppugalūr. |
| 5 | Rudra-Paśupati ... | Do. | | Talaiyūr. |
| 6 | Siṟappuliyār ... | Do. | | |
| 7 | Gaṇanāthar ... | Do. | | |
| 8 | Pūśalār ... | Do. | | Śēyñalur. |
| 9 | Caṇḍēśar ... | Do. | | |
| 10 | Sōmāśimāraṉār ... | Do. | | |
| 11 | Naminandiyār ... | Do. | | Ēmappērūr. |

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| No. | Name. | Caste. | Occupation. | Native place. |
| 12 | Appūdiyaḍigaḷ ... | Brāhmaṇa. | | Tiṅgaḷūr. |
| 13 | Nilanakkar ... | Do. | | Tiruchchāttamaṅgai. |
| 14 | Sundaramūrti ... | Do. | | Tiruvenṇainallūr. |
| 15 | Pugaḷttuṇaiyār ... | Āmātya. | | |
| 16 | Śiruṭṭoṇḍar ... | Do. | | Tiruchcheṅgāṭṭanguḍi. |
| 17 | Kō-Checheṅgaṇṇān . | Crowned monarch. | | |
| 18 | Pugaḷchchōḷar ... | Do. | | |
| 19 | Aruṇmāniyār ... | Do. | | |
| 20 | Iḍaṅgaḷiyār ... | Do. | | |
| 21 | Neḍumāraṉ ... | Do. | | |
| 22 | Śēramāṉperumāḷ ... | Do. | | Tiruvañjaikkalam. |
| 23 | Narasiṅgamuṇaiya-raiyar. | Ruling Chief. (Kshatriya). | | Ruling with Tirukkōvalūr as his capital. |
| 24 | Kūrruvar ... | Do. | | |
| 25 | Kaḷar-chiṅgar ... | Do. | | |
| 26 | Meypporuḷār ... | Do. | | |
| 27 | Aiyadigaḷ ... | Do. | | |
| 28 | Kāraikkālammaiyār | Vaiśya. | | Kāraikkāl. |
| 29 | Mūrtināyaṉār ... | Do. | | Madurai. |
| 30 | Kalikkāmaṉār ... | Do. | | |
| 31 | Amarṇidiyār ... | Do. | | Palaiyārai. |
| 32 | Iyarpagai ... | Do. | | Kāvirippūmpaṭṭiṉam. |
| 33 | Mūrkkanāyaṉār ... | Veḷḷāḷa. | | |
| 34 | Śeruṭṭuṇaiyār ... | Do. | | |
| 35 | Vāyilār ... | Do. | | |
| 36 | Kōṭpuliyār ... | Do. | | |
| 37 | Śaktiyār ... | Do. | | |
| 38 | Arivāṭṭāyaṉār ... | Do. | | Kaṇamaṅgai. |
| 39 | Iḷaiyāṅguḍimāraṉār | Do. | | Iḷaiyāṅguḍi. |

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| No. | Name. | Caste. | Occupation. | Native place. |
| 40 | Sākkiyar | ... | Veḷḷāḷa. | | |
| 41 | Māṉakkañjārar | ... | Do. | | Kañjaṉūr. |
| 42 | Viraṉ-miṇṭar | ... | Do. | | |
| 43 | Muṉaiyaṭuvār | ... | Do. | | Tiruchcheṅ-uṉrūr. |
| 44 | Ēyarkōṉ-Kalikkā-maṉār. | ... | Do. | | Perumaṅgalam. |
| 45 | Tiruṉāvukkaraśu (Appar). | ... | Do. | | Tiruvāmūr. |
| 46 | Tirumūlar | ... | Cowherd. | | Sattaṉūr. |
| 47 | Āṉāyar | ... | Do. | | Maṅgalavūr. |
| 48 | Tiruṉilakaṇṭar | ... | Potter. | | Chidambaram (Tillai). |
| 49 | Tiruṉilakaṇṭattu Pāṇaṉ. | ... | Pāṇaṉ. | | |
| 50 | Atibattaṉāyaṉār | ... | Fisher-man. | | Nāgapaṭaṇam |
| 51 | Kaṇṇappa-nāyaṉār.. | ... | Vēḍaṉ (hunter). | | Kālahasti (Uḍuppūr). |
| 52 | Ēṉadināyaṉār | ... | Shāṇāṉ (Toddy-drawer). | | Eyinaṉūr. |
| 53 | Nēsaṉāyaṉār | ... | Śāliyar, (weaver). | | Kampili. |
| 54 | Tiruṉāḷaippōvār (Naṉdaṉār). | ... | Paraiyaṉ. | Field labour. | Ādaṉūr. |
| 55 | Tirukkuṟipputtoṇ-dar. | ... | Washer-man. | | Kāñchi. |
| 56 | Kaliyaṉār | ... | Oil-monger. | | |
| 57 | Kulachchiraiyār | ... | Prime-minister to the Pāṇḍya king. | | Ma ṇ a m ē ṟ-kuḍi. |
| 58 | Milalaikkuṟumbar | ... | (Kuṟumbaṉ.) | | Milalai. |

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VAISHNAVA BHAKTAS.

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Besides the Śaiva saints above enumerated, there are counted many more at the present time; that is, after that list of sixty-three was drawn up by Sundaramūrti-Nāyaṉār, many others of saintly nature came into being and though they could not be placed in the older list, are still held in as much esteem as the older saints. Such are, for instance, Māṇikkavāchakar, Karuvūrttēvar, Kaṇḍāradittar, Tirumāḷigaittēvar, Śēndanār, Chēdiyarāyar, Purushōttamanambi, Tiruvāliyamudanār, Pūnduruttikāḍanambi, Meykaṇḍadēvar and others. Images are set up for these persons also, along with the sixty-three; that is why we see in many Śiva temples not sixty-three, but about seventy-three images of bhaktas. The number of bhaktas cannot be limited, since any number of these might be added at any time.

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Similarly, in Vaishṇava temples of S. India, which are almost always under the management of the Śrīvaishṇavas, are seen often more than twelve figures of saints. The additional ones are of subsequent āchāryas, like Rāmānuja, Maṇavāḷamāmuni-gaḷ, Vēṅkaṭanātha Dēśika, etc.

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It might be observed that Kulaśēkharāḷvār, a crowned monarch, has a makuṭa on his head, according to the rules laid down above (see Pl. CXXXVI). We see also that Kaṇṇappa-nāyaṉār has his hair tied up in a fine knot on the crown of the head (see Pl. CXXXIV), and certain brāhmaṇa saints, with a small tuft of hair on the crown, as in the case of Viṣṇuchitta (Periyāḻvār), Toṇḍaraḍippoḍi and Madurakavi, in our illustrations (Pl. CXXXVI).

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Again, certain characteristic features mark particular saints; for instance, Apparsvāmigaḷ is at once recognised by a staff, with a triangular metallic piece, at its end, intended for removing grass grown in temples; for, he had undertaken to do that service in all temples he visited (see Pl. CXXXVII, fig. 3). Tirujñānasambandha among the Śaiva (See fig., Pl. CXXXVII) and Tiruppāṇāḻvār among the Vaiṣṇava saints (Pl. CXXXVI) would easily be recognised by the cymbals they have in their hands. Tirumaṅgai, by the sword and shield; and Māṇikkavāchakar, by the book in his hands, (fig. 2, Pl. CXXXVII and Pl. CXXXVIII).

Cites (1)

பெரிய புராணம் — Cēkkiḻār, Tamil