Indian Antiquary Vol 53

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Stephen Meredyth Edwardes, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 72

66
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[MARCH, 1924
the year 1917 and has now been published in the in the case of hundreds of such places, appears form of a booklet by the University. The late to have been simply renamed in the days of MahaMr. Gopinatha Rao is well-known to all students malla. There is no reference, inscriptional or of South Indian History as one of the most earnest, literary, which says that the place was founded enthusiastic and active workers in the field of for the first time by Narasimhavarman 1. Tho historical research with a special' aptitude for historical introduction that is furnished in the epigraphy. As he himself tells us at the commence- recently discovered Sanskrit work (Dandin's ment of the lecture (p. 1) ho began the investigation Avanti-Sundari Katha-sdra) makes no referenco of the subject as early as 1900, and has revised his to Mahậmallapuram having been founded by this conclusions on the subject in the light of new king. Finally, the recent discovery of the royal materials collected since then.
statues of Simha Vishnu and Mahendravarman The work opens with a brief account of the and their queens in the Adi-Varaha-Swami shrine Alvårs as given in the orthodox Vaishnava traditional at Mahabalipuram completely destroy this assumpaccounts (pp. 1-7), which is followed by a similar tion, and carries back the antiquity of this place account of the Acharyas (pp. 7-14), at the end of much earlier than the days of Mahåmalla. which the author cnumerates the sources of in. In this connection our author makes no attempt formation. Then follows a critical account of to arrive at the dates of these Ålvars on the evi. the Sri Vaishnavas', in which he discusses the
clence furnished by early Tamil literary works. datos of the various Alvars and Acharyas (pp. The identity of the Vaishnava saint Poygai with 16-43). This occupies about 27 pages and is pro- the early Tamil literary celebrity Poygaiyar, the bably considered by the author as his special author of Kalavali, on literary and stylistic grounds contribution to the subject. The rest of the work
which has a strong olement of probability, is not is devoted to an enumeration of the literary and
even alluded to by our author. Dr. Krishnainscriptional records having reference to the birth
swami Aiyangar in his study of Vaishnavism and important events in the lives of these sainta.
makes & careful examination not only of the inThe last four pages contain the remarks of Dewan
ternal evidence of the Alvars' own poems, but Bahadur L. D. Swamikannu Pillai who presided
also that of early Tamil literature, and has como over the lectures.
to the conclusion that the early Alvárs may be as. It may at once be pointed out that the weakest signed to the second century A.D., the age of Nalam. part of the work, and the one which is most open to killi and Senguttuvan (see page 75, Early History criticism, is the chronology adopted by the author of Vaishnavism). As this view appears to satisfy for the Vaishnava Alvârs, and the dates that he
All considerations, historical and literary, we must assigns to them, which we are afraid cannot find be excused if we feel sceptical as regards the sound. acceptance by the majority of South Indian scholars.
noss of Mr. Gopinatha Rao's conclusions on this Let us consider a few of these dates here. On
point. page 17 the author has "All things considered, the As regards the much discussed date of NamPallava period, corresponding to the first part Alvår, Mr. Gopinatha Rao thinks that the first half of the eighth century, appears certainly to have been of the ninth century was the period when he lived one of great Vaishnava activity all over the pro. and wrote his memorable Tiruvóymoli (p. 21). sideney, in Tondamandalam as well as in the Pandya For this conclusion he chiefly relies upon the reand Cho!a countries. It would not be wrong, ference in Anamalai inscription to Mâran-Kâri, therefore, to assign the Mudal-AįvAra and Tiru. the Uttara-mantrin of the Pånd ya king Parântaka. malibai-Alvar to this period." In support of this who had also the name Madurakavi. From the he quotes the date arrived at by Mr. L. D. Swami. similarity of the names of the father of Nam-Alvar kannu Pillai for Tirumalisai-Alvår, namely, 720 and Maran-käri of the Anamalai inscription, and A.D., and feels confirmed with his conclusion. that of the Madura-kavi with the disciple of NamFor this date of the first three Alvârs, our author Alvâr, the conclusion is drawn that Maran-kári chiefly relies upon the reference to Mamallai (the the Pandya official, was the father of Nam-Alvår, birth-place of Patata)vAr) which he considers on the and that Nam-Alvår gave his father's name to authority of Prof. Dubreuil did not exist before his disciple as a Dasya-nama. Such an identifithe days of Narasimhavarman I (p. 16). This cation, far from solving many an otherwise inexassumption, upon which our author mainly relies plicable difficulty, runs counter to all accepted for his date of the Mudal Alvårs', is entirely un. tradition aud historical sequence of the order of tenable, and is not supported by any positive evi. the Alvârs. It is surprising that Mr. Gopinatha dence to show that the place referred to AS Rao, who accepts the traditional accounts of the Mallai by the Alvår did not exist before the seventh Alvars in certain respects, such as the contempo. century. The probabilities are on the other hand raneity of the first four Alvars, should deliberately that the place did have an existence, As & village overlook other aspects of genuine tradition regard if not as a town, from very early times, and asing Nam-Aļvår simply because it is inconvenient