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A CULTURAL STUDY OF THE NISITHA CURNI
even after their decline it remained popular amongst the masses. In South, the worship of the various forms of Vişnu became popular due to the extreme devotion of the Alvara saints during these centuries." Visnu, the sun-deity of Rgveda, was reborn in the Purānic pantheon with exuberant power, and the cults of Vişnu, Nārāyana, Vasudeva, Kșspa etc. represented its various streams. From the Nišitha Cūrni, we do not get a fair picture of Vaişņavism. While the hostile attacks of the author are usually directed against the Saivites and the Buddhists', the author is remarkably silent about the Vaişņava faith.
At one place, however, mention is made of the image of Nārāyaṇa (Narayaņādi padima)* which shows that images of Nārāyana must have been made and worshipped by its devotees. At several places in his works Bāņa refers to the images of Nārāyaṇa. From the inscriptions also we learn that in the Vaisnava cave at Badami excavated under the Cālukya king Kirtivarman I in 578 A. D. an image of Vişnu was installed and provision was made for the Narayana-bali or offering to Nārāyana.6 The Sirigharas or the temples dedicated to the goddess Śrī have been alluded to in the text?, which shows that the worship of Vişnu with his consort Srí or Lakşmi must have been in vogue and that temples were also erected for their worship.
Amongst the various forms of Vişnu mention is made of Vasudeva who fled from the prison of Kam sa even in the presence of its guards. The story of the origin of the Bhalli
1. Ghatege, A. M., op. cit., p. 409 2. Sce—Saivism. 3. Sce-Buddhism. 4. ay giet café feitung Neufaha -NC. 4, p. 59. 5. Agrawala, V. S., Kādambari: Eka Sanskrtika Adnyayaha, pp. 1-8g
34, 118. 6. Bhandarkar, op. cit., p. 61; also Handiqui, op. cit., p. 365. 7. NC. 2, pp. 360, 362. 8. NO. 2, PP. 415-16.
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