New member introduction: G. Srivatsan

[nanda chandran]

>This might not be the appropriate to discuss this issue, but i don't
>seem to be lucky in finding more information about Shaiva and
>Vedantic Shaivism from south India on the list.

Sometime back we had a discussion about Sivaachaaryas in TamilNadu.

A few months back I'd a chance to vist some of the nava graha temples around
Kumbhakonam. The Saivite temples in this area seem to be run by
Sivaachaaryas. I talked with a few of them - while some of them identified
themselves as "Iyers", a few didn't understand the term "smaartha" - but all
were agreed that they were Sivaachaaryaas - they use it as their last name.

Thiruvenkaadu seems to have been the seat of the Saiva Siddhaanta school -
with the resident saint of the temple being Meikanda Thevar of Siva Jnaana
Bodham fame.

In the same trip I also visited Sreerangam - the seat of the Visishtadvaita
school. The temple is just awesome. The Naalaayira Divya Prabhandham
referred to as the "Tamil Veda" by the Sri Vaishnavaas, has been carved on
the walls of the temple. There are idols of some of the Azhvaars and the
Achaaryas of the school - the idol of Raamaanuja is said to be his actual
body, which according to some, is preserved with great care to this very
day!




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