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No. 21 ] AMUDALAPADU PLATES OF VIKRAMADITYA I, YEAR 6 181 ceremony of initiation) of a Virabaiva or Lingayata when he chooses his guru or preceptor. In connection with the ceremony, it is necessary to place four metallic vessels full of water at the four cardinal points with a fifth in the middle. This last vessel belongs to the person to be conseorated as the guru who is supposed to represent an old Acharya named Vibvärādhya (Visvēs. Vararadhya) while the others belong to four other Achāryas pertaining to the schools respectively of Rēvanasiddha (also called "Rēnukācharya), Marulasiddha, Eköräma and Panditärädhya' and connected with certain Mathas. The five vessels are consecrated to the five faces of Siva, viz.. Sadyõjāta, Vāmadova, Aghora, Tatpurusha and Iśāna, and the five Acharyas are believed to have wprung from the five forms of Siva.Bhandarkar notes that, of the five names of the teachers mentioned in this connection, at least three are stated in the Basava Purāna to have flourished before Basava and comes to the conclusion that the Virasaiva or Lingāyata creed, known to its followers as the Saiva-darśana or Siddhänta-darsana, was affiliated to the moderate or sober school of Saivism. He further suggests that this creed was reduced to a shape by learned Saiva Brāhmanas called Arādhyas, while subsequent reformers gave it a decidedly uncompromising and anti-Brahmanical character. The inscription under study appears to support these views inasmuch as the Siva-mandala-dikshā referred to in it seems to have some resemblance with the initiation of the Virasaivas described above, though some authorities prescribe only Jñūna-dikshā for kings.
We have seen how the Chālukya king Vikramāditya I of Bädāni granted a village to Sudaršanācharya in payment of guru-dakshina (i.e. fees to be paid to the preceptor on the occasion of one's initiation) at the time of his Siva-mandala-diksha (i.e. initiation into Siva's circle)" and how the said Acharya (i.e. his preceptor Sudarsanāchārya) allotted portions of the land in the gift village to as many as twentyseven other Brahmaņas as well as to his own wife. The names of the Brähmanas who received shares of the land in the gift village and must have assisted Sudarsanā. charya in the performance of the king's dikshā ceremony have been quoted above. That at least one of them acted in the capacity of a subordinate Achārya, as in the case of the four assistant Schāryas in the initiation of a Vira4aiva (Lingāyata), referred to above, seems to be suggested by the suffix acharya added to the name of Rudraśivāchārya who heads the list of the twentyseven Brāhmaṇas. Another interesting fact is the name-ending biva affixed to the names of three of the Brāhmaṇas, viz. Rudraśiva, Gāyatriţiva and Paramasiva. As Bhandarkar has pointed out, the
Bhandarkar, op. cit., pp. 189 ff. . The word aradhya is often also affixed to the names of Revana (Ronuka), Marula and Eköränd. The Arā. dhya-Brāhmaṇas appear to have been also known as Siva-Brahmanas.
In a Kannada work entitled Mahtavaradi kahävidhi by Käbinätha Sastri, to which my attention was drawn by Dr. G.S. Gai, it is stated in connection with the avastivāchana ceremony Associated with Siva-dikaha that two new vessels, either metallic or earthon, are placed, one in the north and the other in the south. They are filled with sacred water, eto., and four Mahesvaras take their seats, two behind each vessel.
Op. cit., p. 191. Among the reformers who are regarded as the founders of the Virasaiva (Lingayata) sect, the names of Basava and of his contemporary Ekāntada Rámayya, both of whom wore born in Brahmana familien, und of Basava's nephew Chenna Basava are the most celebrated.
As suggested above, Siva-mandala-diksha seems to be the same as Saiva-dikeha. According to Kästnatha Sastri's Mähesvaradikshavidhi, when the Acharya performs the Sivalinga-samskära in connection with Sira-dikeka, he has to make a Mandala for the performance of the dhanyadhivina of the Linga and another in connection with its shadadhvasuddhi. These ceremonies, however, do not appear to have okused the introduction of the word manala in the expression Siva-mandala-diksha. But the arrangement of the five vessels in connection with tho Virašaiva diksha, i.e. four in the four corners and the fifth in the middle, may be regarded as forming & mandala or circle, although it is difficult to determine whether the expression Siva-mandala-dikahi really owes its origin to such a practice.
In Käbinātha Sastri's Mahéávaradikahavidhi, it is stated in connection with the nandi-tamaradhana ceremony of tho Siradiksha that a coconut is placed in a vessel filled with rice and also money sufficient to be offered to 24 Mahesvaras. The money in given to 24 Mahovaru who are fed afterwards.
