The Colas c33.35

c33.35

The history of the *maṭhas* and *guhais*⁷² of the period cannot be pursued in any detail here. Their origin is anterior to the reign of Rājarāja I⁷³ and their number and influence steadily increased during the period of Cōḻa rule in South India. Starting from important centres where one or more *maṭhas* were established in the first instance, the movement spread all over the land until almost every temple came to possess one or more *maṭhas* functioning in close proximity to it. They grouped themselves from the beginning round a few prominent centres and in course of time, a limited number of *santānas*, spiritual groups attached to particular successions of *gurus*, came to be distinguished; examples of such *santānas* are the *lakṣādhyāya santāna* of the *maṭha* of Patañjali-dēvar situated at Melaiccēri of Perumbarṟappuliyūr (Cidambaram) which controlled an *ācāryasthāna* at Kīḻaikāṭṭu (Kīḻaiyūr, Negapatam tq., Tanjore dt.), besides the Kollāmaṭha at Vārāṇasī and Naḍuvil-maṭha at Tiruvānaikkāval; that of the *mudaliyārs* of Tiruccattimurṟam⁷⁴ and the *māḷigai-maḍattu mudaliyār santānam* of Tiruvidaimarudil.⁷⁵ Many of these groups were confined to the Tamil country in the range of their activity; these were the Tamil Śaiva *maṭhas* proper. Others, however, kept up wider contacts and prided themselves on their connection with Āryadēśam, Benares, or even Kashmir; the Gōḷakī *maṭha* had also a considerable following in the South. Epigraphy and tradition alike point to a fairly large immigration of Bhaṭṭas from Northern India to important religious centres in the South, particularly to Śrīrangam; immigrants from Kāśmīradeśam are specially mentioned in Śrīrangam besides other places in Chingleput and Ramnad districts. Generally, the *maṭhas* which maintained these external contacts belonged to the various schools of Pāśupatas, Kāpālikas and so on. There must have been monastic institutions of other types maintained by Śaiva Brahmins and Vaiṣṇavas, though of these we learn relatively little from the inscriptions.