Articles

The Role of Tamil Medieval Poet Sambandar in Strengthening Hinduism in South India

Vostok/Oriens '2013, №5

 
There was a strong rivalry in the South of India between the three religions – Jainism, Buddhism and Brahmanical Hinduism in the fourth to the sixth centuries CE. Hinduism could better adjust itself to the Tamil mentality and local cultural, social and economic environment. It happened mostly as a result of the reformation of the orthodox Hindu religion which resulted in what was called the Early Tamil Bhakti movement. The Tamil Bhakti was represented by the religious and literary traditions of Nāyaṉār and Āl̠vār. One of the most famous Nayaṉār poets and saints is Tiruñānasambandar (Sambandar, the seventh century), whose religious hymns, dedicated to the Hindu God Shiva as Universal Absolute in a particular image, are included in the Tēvāram (the main part of the Tamil Shaiva holy scriptures Tirumur̠ai). According to his hagiography and the contents of his poetry Sambandar was believed to have a special Divine mission of destroying “alien” religions and establishing Brahmanical Hinduism in the form of Shaiva Bhakti in the Tamil land. His poetry, pilgrimages and all the events of his life (so as for the other famous Nāyaṉārs) had an effect of propaganda of Tamil Shaiva Bhakti which by the tenth to twelfth centuries was adopted by Tamil dynasties as a form of a state ideology.

Keywords: India, Hinduism, Tamil Bhakti, Shivaism, Nayanar, Sambandar

Pages: С. 31–42