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RELIGION
201 deities of the four continents. Religious fancy led the people to locate the heaven of the thirtythree gods on the top of the Mount Sumeru and the world of the aguras at the bottom of it, below the water, and to conceive a protracted war between the thirty-three gods and the asuras for the possession of Inda's or Sakka’s domain. The formation of the hierarchy in ancient Indian pantheon must have resulted from a long course of development of religious ideas and beliefs and of conflict and compromise between them.
As for the higher religions, mention is frequently made of the contemporary representatives of the ancient Vedic sages generally enumerated as ten in number. They formed the sotthiya or mahāsāla class of Brahmins from among whom the Purohitas or housepriests of the kings and wealthy nobles, etc., were chosen and appointed. We have mention also of the teachers of the early upanishadic schools such as the Addhariyas (Aitareyas ?),
Tittiriyas (Taittiriyas), Chandokas (Chāndogyas), "Chandāvas (Šātapathas ?) and Bavharijjas (Bāhvșoas).
In addition to them, the Books speak of the Tāpasas, Paribbājakas and Samaņas of different orders. Among the Tāpasas some are honoured ago isis or sages. The, Paribbājakas, mostly
1 Digha, 4 p 237.
