Sivaachaaryas

[BGS]

On Wed, 24 Oct 2001 10:32:40 -0700, vidya S Jayaraman <paanini at YAHOO.COM>
wrote:

>Some scholars opine that Sivacharyas were settlers
>from North India and Rajendra I who conquered Western
>Bengal and North India.
>V.S.Pathak Says in his Book,"Saivism in Early
>mediaeval India as known from archaeological sources :
>Rajendra Chola saw the best of the Saivas in Northern
>India when he came to take a bath in the Ganges and
>carried them to settle in his own country in Kanchi
>and elsewhere in the chola land."
>
>Jnanasambandhar is said to have been a brhamin from
>the Kaundinya gotra.
>Again Tirumular is said to come from the North and he
>was said to an associate of Agastya.He is conversant
>with the teachings of Kashmiri Saivism.
>
>It would be interesting if someone posts some info abt
>ArulNandi ,Umapati sivam and meikandar who were the
>codifiers.
>

Mahesvara (Anadisaiva) created  five major saiva groups, namely, Adisaiva,
Mahasaiva, Anusaiva, Avantarasaiva and Parasaiva. Adisaivas are also called
as Sivabrahmanas/sivadvijas/Gurukkal. They belong to Atreya,
Goutama,Bharadwaja, Kasyapa and Kausika Gotras and Bhodayana Sutra. Some
may include Agastya Gotra in this list instead of Atreya Gotra. An Adisaiva
becomes a Sivacarya  after the Acarya abhishekam ceremony.

Rajaraja – I and the later Kings were given diksha by the Madhya Gouda desa
Sivacaryas (Adisaivagurus - originally immigrants from Kashmir). Rajaraja’s
Guru Isanasivadeva donated the swarna kalasam to Sri Brihadeeswara temple,
Tanjore. He is also known as Karuvur Devar. Srikantasiva was the Guru of
Vikarama Chola. He wrote the famous Saiva Bhashya on the Sutras of
Badarayana. Isvarasiva, author of Siddhantaratnakaram was the Rajaguru of
Kulotunga III.

The Acaryas of the various ati-margas like, Kapalika, Lakukisa- Pasupata,
Somasiddhanta and  Kalamukha were also called as Sivacaryas.

Mahasaivas (other Brahmanas - Smartas..) were also given the Acarya status.
(Aghora Sivacarya, Arulnandi, Umapati 
)


1. The Dikshitas of Cidambaram are not Adisaivas.

2. Tirugnanasambandar in his Pazuvur Tevaram refers to the “Malayala
Andanar’s  pooja”  (Pazuvur is situated near Airyalur, in the Trichy
District).

3. The Kuram Copper Plate of  Paramesvara Varman - I (675 – 685 A.D)
mentions about the grants made to  one Ananta Sivacarya (not a
Sivabrahmana)   for performing navakarmam and devakaramam in the
Vidyavinita Pallavesvaram Temple.

“..tasya bhagavata: paramEshtina: pinAkapanE: pUjA stapana kusuma gandha
dUpa dIpa havirupahAra bhalis.ankha patahAdi pravartanArtham..”
(Plate V –Lines 51 and 52)

4. The vElUrpAlayam copper plate of Nandi Varaman – III (840-865 A.D)
refers to one yagnabhatta @ pappabhattAraka,  a  priest,  in the
yagnesvara mahAdevar  Temple at  srikAttupalli (tirukkAttuppalli).

5. A record of 988 A.D., in the Kiranur Sivalokanathaswamy Temple states
that one Vaikanasan Goutaman Vishnu Bhattan Venkatavan was performing the
daily poojas in the Durga Bhattaraki shrine. (Vaikanasa – Sutra, Goutama –
Gotra).

BGS