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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[AUGUST, 1914.
Adi Van Satagôpa Swami of Ahôbilam, 16 yet the attraction which Tengalaism possessed among the masses, its tactful alliance with a large number of the temple authorities and of the ruling princes of the day, its skill in organization, its comparative laxity in caste matters its advocacy of the vernacular bibles, naturally made it stronger and stronger in the land; so that by the end of the 15th century there was perhaps an equal number of followers among the two sects. The princes were of course divided between the two, some professing Vadagalaism as the Sanskrit school came to be called, and others Tengalaism. The Emperors professed the former, as they had for their teachers a very orthodox Vadagalai family of Conjeeveram known as the Tåtâchâryas, 17 and as they were the special worshippers of the deity of Ahôbilam, a seat of Vadagalai influence. But the majority of the Polygars and minor chieftains seem to have been naturally attracted to the more popular religion. One of the Mávalivâna18 kings is actually said to have lifted up the palanquin of Manavala Mahâmuni. It is not improbable that many of the Tóttiya chiefs were likewise brought under Tengalaism,- a phenomenon which explains the profession of the Tengalai cult by them to-day.
The rise of Salva-Siddhantism. The popular movement in Saivism or Saiva-Siddhantism as it was called, revived by the famous Meykan Ca10 Deva, the author of Sivagnanabodham, the philosophie bible of that creed, in the 13th century, made rapid progress in this period. Meykanca Deva had adopted the Vibish advaitic philosophy of Ramanuja, but made siva instead of Vishņu the Supreme Being. His system is thus the same as Râmânujâ's system, but with Saiva terminology. His great achievement was to make Saivism the religion of the masses as distinct from the religion of the higher castes as formulated by Sankaracharya. Vidvåranya and other Advaitins. Meykanda's work was continued by a number of saints chiefly non-Brahman. The famous Pattiragiriyar, 20 the fanatical Siva Vâkya, the reformed
u
16 He lived in the latter part of the 1881 and the earlier part of the 16th century. He was the diaginta of GlatikAiAtam Ammål, who was the disciple of Varadhicharya, the son and successor of VedAntich
itablished his celebrated Matt at Ahobilam, the god of which place, Narasi:ha Perumal was hia tastelarv deity. Many miracles are attributed to Satagopa. Soe Sats impriddy : Muktavili for m Af his life and his successors in the Ahobila Matt. Adi Vaj Satagopa's disciple was Tholappacharya the Anthor of Smriti Ratnakar and the preceptor of the Vijayanagar Emperor. (See insc, recording Kamalapuram tank near Hampi). Even ron.Brahmans were converted by Satagopa, and many of the princes and Polyears who came to the south were devotees of Ahobila Narasingaperumal. That is why tho Tottiyans built temples tu him wherever they settled.
17 A number of epigraphical references prove this. See section II, ante. 18 See the Yatindraprava naprabhava.
19 The data of Mevkanda Déva has long been one of doubt and controversy. Prof. Seshagiri hati eave he was the disciple of Paranjitimunivar, the author of Tiruvayddal Purdnam who he about 1550 in the court of Ati Vira Rama Pandya. (See his Rep. Sana. Tam, Mss. 1896 NAS
M ...
... M
i lh and 56.
a udam. MSS. 1896-7p. 52 The author of the Madrid Manual also thinks that the Siddhar School was after Ativire Pandya : but he wigns Ativira Rama to the lith century, about 1040 A.D. (See Vol. I, p. 57 and 120 Mr. Copinatha Rao has given epigraphical and other arguments to show that he lived about 1928 (M dr. Review, 1904).
20 Gover attributes Pattiragiriyar to the 10th century (See his Folksongs, 159) An +4vinavakam Pillai in his edition of Pattipattu Pilai's works (1907) says that as P a ttu
P. ALU Pillai refers
D . to Varaguna in the 9th century and as some of his works are referred to by Nambiindar N 11th century. Pattinattu Pillai must have lived in the 10th century, and so Alo Per
and so also Pattiragiriyar his dianinle. From the fact that many of Pattipattu Pillai's works are not referred to in the 11th and from his style, the majority of the scholars attribute him and his school to the 15th and 16th centaries. Soe ea. Dr. Caldwell's Dravid. Grum., P. 116. Caldweli, it should be noted. divideo literary history into two cycles, the literary, wherein he includes Ativira Rima Pandya and the wherein he brings in the Sittare. The latter, he points out, pretend to be Saivites, but philosono nonantaries.He attributes Sinagnana, bôdham to the 16th century and the Sittare (Tirumala cirivar. Sive Vikya, etc) to the 17th century (Ibid, p. 146, and 1.88-9). For the alleged between the Siddhar school and Christianity, see Caldwell's Dravid. Gram, 116; Barth's Relinions
ravid. Gram, 116; Barth's Religions of India, in 210 and Hopkins' Religions of India, P. 482. The Siddha movement is described in detail chapter.
