Temple and idol worship

[Guest guest]

What is earliest textual reference to temple worship in India?

 

The same question about idol worship - early brahmanical like the the

dharma shaastras don't seem to have any place for such a kind of

worship.

 

What's the Buddhist contribution to temple and idol worship? Where do

we find the earliest instance of such worship in Buddhist texts?

 

Note : I'm not talking about devotion which is as old as religion

itself, but specifically about temple and idol worship.

[Guest guest]

INDOLOGY, "vpcnk" <vpcnk@H...> wrote:

> What is earliest textual reference to temple worship in India?

>

> The same question about idol worship - early brahmanical like the the

> dharma shaastras don't seem to have any place for such a kind of

> worship.

 

Tamil sangam texts give iconographic descriptions,

eg., Murukan-Skanda, Siva, Maal(Vishnu), KoRRavai (Durga, known as

KotrAvi in the North India until 7th century).

 

>

> What's the Buddhist contribution to temple and idol worship? Where do

> we find the earliest instance of such worship in Buddhist texts?

>

 

Atleast BuddhapAda, Buddha, Bodhisattvas in art precede

the Hindu gods' portrayal in stone or painting.

(Ananda Coomaraswamy, Yakshas, 2 volumes).

 

In the south, there was a sort of prohibition to build temples

out of stone. Sangam texts mention kantuTainilai, kantazinilai

where kantu '(wooden) post' and koTi-nilai (paintings and

scrolls). Yakshis, Daakinis:

http://www.services.cnrs.fr/wws/arc/ctamil/2002-09/msg00040.html

http://www.services.cnrs.fr/wws/arc/ctamil/2002-09/msg00041.html

 

On Dharmi-Sivacharyar priests using Dravida mantrams

mentioned in Banabhatta's Kadambari:

http://www.services.cnrs.fr/wws/arc/ctamil/2002-09/msg00044.html

 

Regards,

N. Ganesan

 

> Note : I'm not talking about devotion which is as old as religion

> itself, but specifically about temple and idol worship.

[Guest guest]

INDOLOGY, "naga_ganesan" <naga_ganesan@h...> wrote:

 

> On Dharmi-Sivacharyar priests using Dravida mantrams

> mentioned in Banabhatta's Kadambari:

 

 

How can one be sure that Sudraka's adventures took place south of

Tiruvengadam? Also how sure one can be of the equation

dharmi=sivachariyar. The priest mentioned was praying to Goddess, not

Siva.