Hinduism in South India

Hinduism in South India refers to the Hindu culture of the people of South India. Hinduism in South India is characterized by Dravidian customs and traditions, hence it is also called Dravidian Hinduism. The Dravidians made great contributions to the development of Hinduism.[1] South India was the birthplace of many Hindu saints and reformers. The Brahmins (Hindu priests class) of ancient Dakshinapatha (Tamilakam, Telangana, Karnataka including Maharashtra and Gujarat) were classified as Pancha-Dravida (The Five Dravidians).[2][3] The Hindus in South India are followers of various Hindu branches such as Vaishnavism,Shaivism, Shaktism, Brahmanism and others. Hinduism was the state religion of most of the South Indian kingdoms. During the Ancient and Middle Ages were built in South India one of the greatest Hindu temples. South Indian kings such as the Cholas spread Hinduism overseas to parts of Southeast Asia.[4] The activities of South India across the Palk Strait led to survival of Hinduism in Sri Lanka.[5] The Tamil. Some Hindu festivals are celebrated mostly or exclusively in South India and Sri Lanka. In South India are also numerous Hindu pilgrimage site that is visited annually by thousands of devotees.[6]

South Indian Hindus
States and union territories of South India.
Total population
212,563,640 (2011)
84% of the total population
Regions with significant populations
Tamil Nadu63,188,168
Andhra Pradesh including Telangana74,824,149
Karnataka51,317,472
Kerala18,282,492
Religions
Hinduism
Majority
Minority

Hinduism in Ancient South India
Temple car festival in Tiruvarur.

The Vedic culture in South India has been in some respects the best preserved of ancient Vedic culture and traditions.[7] In North India during late ancient and medieval periods, Buddhism, Sikhism and Islam flourished alongside the Hindu majority.[8] Every intermixing influenced North Indian culture, in particular Islam. The influence of Islam, specifically Sufism, and Sikhism are widespread in the modern-day North Indian society, clearly palpable in linguistics, music, attire, etc.[9] Much of this influence can be attributed to close to a millennium of Muslim rule across North India. Unlike in the North, South India had less outside influence until the advent of European imperialists. As such, the original Hindu traditions are relatively better preserved in South India than in North India.[10][11]

Tamil literature and Tamil epics and classics have many references to Vedic gods and culture.[12] The Tolkaappiyam, 1st century BCE grammar book, mentions non-Vedic, early-Vedic (Indra, Varuna) and Puranic (Vishnu) gods. The Paripadal (8; 3; 9 etc.), one of the "Eight Anthologies" of poetry (or ettuttokai), has homages to Vishnu, Lakshmi, Brahma, the twelve Adityas, the Ashvins, the Rudras, the Saptarishis, Indra, the Devas etc. The Kural, written by Tiruvalluvar, mentions gods like Indra (25) and Lakshmi (e.g. 167).[13]

The Sangam Tamil epic Silappathikaram, begins with invocations to Chandra, Surya, and Indra, and has homages to Agni, Varuna, Shiva, Subrahmanya, Vishnu-Krishna, Uma, etc. The epic states that "Vedic sacrifices [are] being faultlessly performed" and has many references to Vedic culture and Vedic texts. In the Buddhist work Manimekhalai, the submersion of the city Puhar in Kumari Kandam is attributed to the neglect of the worship to Indra.[14]

Vedic legends

According to the Puranas, the Pandyas, Cholas and Keralas are descendants of the Vedic Turvasha people. According to the Matsya Purana, Manu is considered as a south Indian king.[15] In Hindu tradition the creation of the Tamil language is credited to the Rig Vedic sage Rishi Agastya.[16]

See also

References
  1. Elliot 2007i, p. 12.
  2. Narada 1999, p. 8.
  3. Lochtefeld 2001l, p. 203.
  4. Eraly 2008i.
  5. Lecture on Hindu sculpture and architecture of Sri Lanka Sunday Times - 29 September 2010 Archived 12 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Ghazal programme at Tirumala temple". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 30 September 2003. Archived from the original on 3 October 2003.
  7. Devadevan 2016, p. 78.
  8. Subbarayalu, Y. (1 August 2011). "Religious culture in South India". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  9. Gist, Noel P. (1957). "Religion and Society in South India". The Midwest Sociologist. 19 (2): 61–70. ISSN 1948-1586. JSTOR 25514977.
  10. "Top 10 - South India Heritage and Culture". Authentic India Tours. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  11. "Why north and south do not meet". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  12. Ranganathan, Shyam (23 June 2010). "Bhakti movement and Tamil". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  13. Eraly 2008i, p. 45.
  14. Elliot 2007i.
  15. also e.g. Bhagavata Purana (VIII.24.13)
  16. Michel Danino - Vedic Roots of Early Tamil Culture Archived 2013-08-17 at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography
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