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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
Apart from the ascetics there were the householder-devo-- tees of Siva. Mention has also been made of 'food' or 'offerings brought to the Siva temple by the householders; and the Jaina monks could accept the same in times of dire necessity. These devotees have been specifically called as householders ( gihattha ),2 and may be regarded to have been the laydevotees of this faith. Yuan Chwang in his account mentions at several places the temples of Maheśvara at which the Pāśupatas worshipped, while at one or two places they are mentioned as residing in the temple. As conjectured by R. G. Bhandarkar, “those residing in the temple must have been the ascetics, while the others were the householder disciples of the Pasupata faith."*
Probably outside this sectarian circle the worship of Siva formed a part of the religious life in general. Sivagphas or the temples of Siva, though primarily built for the Šaivite ascetics, were sometimes resorted to even by the heretics. In an ancient story cited in the text, Ajja Suhatthi, the famous Jaina Ācārya, is alluded to have resided in a Sivaghara in the country of Saurāṣtra.5 Various terms like Ruddaghara, Ruddanikeyaņa, Mahadevayatana, sivaghara? etc. used in the text indicate the richness of the Saivite temples during this time. The fact is further supported by the archaeological remains. Many a temple of Siva constructed by the early Calukyas and the Rāşğrakațas, the Kailāśa and the cave temples of Ellora, may be taken to show the worship of Śiva in Mahārāşțra from the 7th century A. D., & while it flourished as a State-religion.. under the Maitrakas of Valabhi who style themselves as 'in.
1. FEIĄTTE faqafoaferi TETT TRACT:NC. 1, p. 146. 2. Ibid. 3. Vide_Bhandarkar, op. cit., pp. 167–68. 4, Ibid. 5. NC. 2, p. 362. 6. NC, I., pp. 146-47. 7. NC. 2, p. 362, 8. Bhandarkar, op. cit., p. 169.
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