Region Born Alwars in the Promotion of Bhakti Cult in Tamil Nadu
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Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 THE ROLE PLAYED BY THE CHOLAMANDALAM – REGION BORN ALWARS IN THE PROMOTION OF BHAKTI CULT IN TAMIL NADU Prof.B.S.Chandrababu Dr K.Thangapandian Prof.Head & Chairperson (Retd.) Assistant Professor School of Historical Studies Dept. of History Madurai Kamaraj University Central University of Tamil Nadu Madurai-625 021 Thiruvarur-610 005. Abstract Bhakti movement was an important socio-religious and spiritual activity and the contribution made by the proponents of this movement to it from the Cholamandalam region is no less significant. The “Bhakti” emerged as a movement in medieval times in the Tamil Country. From the 7th to the 13th century, this movement rose and grew in opposition to Jainism and Buddhism which by then had made strong inroads into the Tamil country. The Cholamandalam region of Tamil Nadu has its share of promoting the Bhakti cult from its soil. Thirty-six Nayanmars and three Alwars were born in this region. Among the Alwars Thondaradipodi Alwar, Thiruppan Alwar and Thirumangai Alwar were the sons of the soil. Thondaradipodi Alwar was a Brahmin by birth, Thirupan Alwar, a depressed class and Thirumangai Alwar, a backward caste chief of a principality. Keywords: Cholamandalam, Bhakti, Nayanmars, Alwars, Vaishnavism I The Cholamandalam region of the ancient and medieval Tamil Country is remembered for its fertile lands, increased agricultural production and spurt in trade and commercial activities, rigidity of caste system, rule of great monarchs, emergence of Vellalah landocracy against the dominance of Brahmins in ritual polity, growth of Bhakti movement and temple building activities largely as a result of it, burdensome tax policy of the state and above all the presence of ever increasing unbridgeable rich-poor gap. Volume XII, Issue IV, 2020 Page No: 1598 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 Bhakti movement was an important socio-religious and spiritual activity and the contribution made by the proponents of this movement to it from the Cholamandalam region is no less significant. “Bhakti” is a Sanskrit word which means devotion to God. It is to “participate” or to share “in the Godly activities in total surrender and dedication to Him1. Therein lies one’s “salvation” from the worldly desires and the sins accrued from them. The “Bhakti” emerged as a movement in medieval times in the Tamil Country. From the 7th to the 13th century, this movement rose and grew in opposition to Jainism and Buddhism which by then had made strong inroads into the Tamil country. The Nayanmars and Alwars, the principal spokespersons of the Bhakti Movement, belonged to the 7th – 10th Centuries A.D. Continuity in reviving or rejuvenating Brahminical religion or reformed Hinduism was maintained with Ramanuja of the 11th – 12th centuries, Sekkilar of the 12th Century and Meykandar who wrote Sivagnanabodham of the 13th century. A long history of the Bhakti Movement, running about seven centuries, also provides information on the ideological conflicts that took place between the Vaishnavites and the Saivites, which resulted in the latter assuming a predominant position in the religious history if Tamil Nadu. Having been divided into Saivism and Vaishnavism the two sects of Brahminical religion of Hinduism, there were six-three Nayanmars of Saivism and twelve Alwars of Vaishnavism the principal advocates of Bhakti cult with whose tireless efforts, inter alia, the movement spread far and wide of the Tamil Country. Alwars are otherwise called as Acharyas. According to one school of thought, the Vaishnava Acharyas are seven only. They were: Nammalvar, Nadamuni, Uyyakkondar, Manakkal Nambi, Alawanthar, Peria Nambi (Thirukatchi) and Ramanujar. 1 T.Burrow, The Sanskrit Language, London, 1955, pp.77 & 168 Volume XII, Issue IV, 2020 Page No: 1599 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 II Both Nayanmars and Alwars and Acharyas belonged to different castes and of different economic background. Among the sixty-three Nayanmars, about 84 per cent of them including 14 Brahmins were twice-born communities who had enough wealth and social status whereas 16 per cent of the Nayanmars were of the exterior castes of the poor economic status. Similarly, of the twelve Alwars, eight of them were Brahmins, three non-Brahmin rich and one belonged to depressed class. Therefore the better socio-economic status that majority of Nayanmars and Alwars belonged to had given them access to power-that-be sections of society whose help, patronage and following was found essential to drive away Jainism and Buddhism from the Tamil Country in the first phase of the Bhakti Movement. III The Cholamandalam region of Tamil Nadu has its share of promoting the Bhakti cult from its soil. Thirty-six Nayanmars and three Alwars were born in this region. Among the Alwars Thondaradipodi Alwar, Thiruppan Alwar and Thirumangai Alwar were the sons of the soil. Thondaradipodi Alwar was a Brahmin by birth, Thirupan Alwar, a depressed class and Thirumangai Alwar, a backward caste chief of a principality. According to Guru Parampara, the hagiology of Vaishnavism, Thondaradipodi Alwar before being initiated into Vaishnava cult, was under the influence of Devadevi, a prostitute. The mother of the prostitute had taken away all the money from Thondaripodi Alwar. When Thondaradipodi Alwar was in need of money, Lord Vishnu came to his rescue and showered with gold. This incident underscores the point that the God of the Bhakti Movement promoted the cause of their own devotees howsoever bad they may be. Thiruppan Alwar who was an untouchable by birth while singing in praise of Lord Ranganatha on the banks of the river Kaveri, saint Logasaranga was drawing water from Lord Ranganatha with golden pot. When he saw Thiruppan Alwar standing on the banks of the river he ordered him to leave the place for it would pollute the water. Saint Logasaranga hit him with a stone when Thiruppana Alwar was involved in singing in praise of the Lord. Hit by the stone with oozing blood he came to his senses and left. Afterwards when the saint came to see that the blood was oozing from the forehead of Lord Ranganatha himself in the sanctum sanctorum, he was taken aback and as ordered by Lord Ranganatha he took Thiruppan Alwar on his shoulder to the sanctum Volume XII, Issue IV, 2020 Page No: 1600 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 of Lord Ranganatha. This and other incidents in the lives of a few Nayanmars and Alwars indicate that both Saivism and Vaishnavism had tried to be flexible in attracting and accommodating the devotees of low castes. Thirumangai Alwar another Cholamandalam region-born Alwar, according to Guruparampara was involved in thieving and dacoity and from the proceeds he collected he patronised the Vaishnava devotees. According to another story Thirumangai Alwar waylaid a marriage party in which Lord Vishnu himself came in the attire of a Brahmin bride-groom. After coming to learn that Lord Vishnu was the bridegroom, he sang a song in praise of Lord Narayana in chaste and simple Tamil2 in which art he was an adept. Songs of this type numbering 1145 were musically sung by him. Like Nayanmars, Thirumangai Alwar too travelled many places in and around Cholamandalam and Thondainadu and spread the Bhakti cult. And the same Thirumangai Alwar had stolen a Buddha statue made of gold in Nagapatthinam and from the proceeds of the golden statue he undertook the Vaishnava temple works. In the name of Godly service, the thieving and stealing activities of Thirumangai Alwar was justified and praised by Guruparampara. IV Alwar’s Bhakti Philosophy The devotional hymns of the Vaishnava saints formed the great collection of Nalayiraprabandam or Divyaprabandam. This forms the basis of Alwars’ Bhakti philosophy. But it smacks of an effort of taking butter from a huge quantity of buttermilk. The songs of Divyaprabandam either all of them or most of them were sung in praise of Lord Thirumal or Krishna. One can notice two important phases in the compositions rendered by the Alwars (i) promotion of Bhagavatha Cult which contains stories and legends about Lord Krishna (ii) promotion of two epics namely Ramayana and Mahabharatha by copiously incorporating references about those two epics in those compositions. These had found a lot of space in the propaganda campaigns of Alwars as well. However, the outpourings of Alwars did not fail to 2 Nalayiradivyaprabandam, Pasuram 948 Volume XII, Issue IV, 2020 Page No: 1601 Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology ISSN No : 1006-7930 speak on devotion to one God, the rebirth, Karma, moksha, salvation and equality based on birth devoid of discrimination. “The Vaishnava saints in their turn regarded Vishnu as the highest reality and the head of the trinity. According to the Alwars, salvation lay in devotion to Vishnu and not in rituals or sacrifices. The most important tenet of Vaishnavism was disinterested love for Vishnu also one had to do his duty with any concern for the result. It stressed that God was an accessible to all, irrespective of caste distinctions. In the mystical Vaishnavite hymns, the God was often pictured as a lover and the devotee a maiden who yearned for the lover”. In this, Thirumangai Alwar excelled all the other Alwars. “The Vaishnavites believed that through intense prayer and devotion, the human body would become the abode of the Lord. According to Alwars, God could be attained not through the senses to the intellect, but through meditation and love”. The contributions of Cholamandalam-born Alwars of the Vaishna Bhakti philosophy seem to have been fundamental and propagandist and should be understood along with the contribution made by other Alwars.