Oral and Textual Traditions of Veda - Tamil Nadu Region

Paper presented in the

three – day National Seminar on
Oral and Textual Traditions of Veda with Special Reference to South India

Organsied by Kadavallur Anyonyaparisath

Kadavallur, Thrissur Dist., Kerala,
&
IGNCA, New Delhi.
14th - 16th November, 2014

S. A. S. Sarma
Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO)
PONDICHERRY
sassarma@gmail.com

I. Introduction
As we all know, the outstanding feature of the Vedic education is its orality. Sāyaṇa in his
commentary on the Ṛgveda confirms this: “the text of the Veda is to be learned by the method of
learning it from the lips of the teacher and not from a manuscript”1. The Mahābhārata (XIII.24.70)
too asserts the importance of its oral learning. Among the different centers that are known for
Vedic learning in India, even today, one can see several such centers, known as Veda Pāṭhaśālas in
the different parts of Tamil Nadu.

The antiquity of Vedic studies in Tamil Nadu could be seen from the several inscriptions that are
available from Tamil Nadu. Let us see some of the important inscriptions that are related to the
Vedic studies in Tamil Nadu.

II. Antiquity of Vedic studies in Tamil Nadu

I. 1. Some important inscriptions
I.1.1. Kasakkudi Plates of Nandivarman II
The Kasakkudi (Karaikkal) copper plates of Nandivarman II, dated A.D. 753-754 mentions a
grant of a village named Koḍukoḷḷi to Jyeṣṭhapādasomayājin belonging to the Bhāradvāja
gotra and following the Chandogasūtra, who performed Vājāpeya and other sacrifices, who
was well versed in the four Vedas and the six Vedāṅgas and skilled in all branches of holy
and profane knowledge. (MAHALINGAM 1988: 240-255)

I.1.2. Bahur Plates of Nrpatungavarman

Bahur (Pondicherry) copper plates of Nrpatungavarman dated A. D. 877 mentions a grant of
three villages to the Vidyāsthāna at Vāgūr (Bahur). (MAHALINGAM 1988: 454-459)

I.1.3. Two inscriptions of the reigns of Parāntaka I (A.D. 907–955) and Sundra Cōḷa (A.D. 956-973)
The existence of a Vedic school, Chandoga-kiḍaippuram, endowed by a member of the
village executive (āḷungaṇam) of Kāmappullur (Kāppalur, N. Arcot) with land he bought

1
adhyayana-vidhiś ca likhita-pāṭhādi vyāvṛtyādhyana-saṃskṛtatvaṃ svādhyāyasya gamayati. Ṛgveda (1966: p.
14); HCHARFE 2002: 8.

1
 from a sabhā, is attested by two inscriptions of the reigns of Parāntaka I and Sundra Cōḷa.
(NILAKANTA SASTRI 1975: 629); (cf. 268 and 270 of 1938-39, ARE II, 12).

I.1.4. Kāmarasavalli, Ariyalur Dist – A.D. 998

Mentions endowments and merit rewards gifted to those who recite the Talavakāra-sāma.

I.1.5. Mahāsabhā of Āniyūr (now Ānūr, Chingleput Dt.) --- A.D. 999
Provided a bhaṭṭāravṛtti for the teaching of Veda, grammar and other subjects. (cf. NILAKANTA
SASTRI 1975: 629).

I.1.6. Eṇṇāyiram Inscription --- Vikravandi Taluk in Villupuram Dist --- A. D. 1025
In the reign of Rājendra I, the sabhā of Rājarājacaturvedimangalam
(Eṇṇāyiram) in South Arcot, resolved in the presence of an officer of the
king's government, to arrange for the feeding of the pupils and the
remuneration of the teachers of a college in accordance with the terms of
an order made by the king himself. (cf. 333 of 1917, ARE 1918.)
From the words of the inscription it is not easy to say whether the college
was founded on this occasion, or had been in existence for some time
before Rājendra came forward to give it such splendid support. However
that may be, the details recorded in the inscription give an accurate idea of
courses, the relative esteem in which teachers of different subjects were
held in so far as this may be judged from their respective salaries, and the
average cost of maintaining pupils of difference grades. The provision in
this record contemplates 270 junior students and 70 senior students and a
teaching staff of 14 persons. Among the junior students, forty studied the
elements of grammar according to the Rūpāvatāra, and the rest were
learning the Vedas --- 75 devoting themselves to the Ṛgveda and 75 to the
Yajurveda twenty to each of the Vājasaneya and the Chandoga and
Talavakāra-sāmas, ten to the Atharva-Veda and the remaining ten to the
Baudhāyana-gṛhya, -kalpa and gaṇa. (NILAKANTA SASTRI 1975: 630-631)

The remuneration paid to teachers of different sections as well as to the senior students are
also mentioned in this inscription.; (see also Renou E.V.P. VI, p. 18; R. Nagaswamy, Vedic
scholars in the ancient Tamil country, Vishveshvaranand Indological Journal, Vol. 3 (1965), p.
192.)

I.1.7. Tribhuvani, Pondicherry --- A. D. 1048.

Another pāṭhaśālā, similar to that of Eṇṇāyiram, was maintained at Tribhuvani, near
Pondicherry with 260 students. The inscription describes the honorarium to be paid for the
teachers and the stipend for students thus:

... four kalams of paddy for 12 persons --- three persons who teach Ṛgveda,
three persons who teach Yajurveda, one person who teaches Sāntoka Sāman,
one person who teaches Talavakāra Sāman, one person who teaches
Apūrvam, one person who teaches Vājasaneyam, one person who teaches
Bhautā[ya]nīya sūtram, one person who teaches Sattūṣāṭa sūtram – at the
rate of one tūṇi of paddy per day per person. ... 11 kalams and two tūṇis and
one patakku of paddy for 190 people – 60 people who study Ṛgveda and
Apūrva, 60 people who study Yajurveda and Apūrva, 20 people who study
Sāntōka sāman, 50 people who study Talavakāra sāman, Apūrva, Vājasaneyam,

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 Bhautānyasūtra, Sattujāta sūtram --- at the rate of six nāḷis of paddy per day
per person. (Pondicherry Inscriptions, Part II, pp. 50-51)

I.1.8. Madhurantakam taluk of the Chingleput District --- A. D. 1067.

The Tirumukkūḍal of Virarājendra contains a detailed account of the vedapāṭhaśāla in which
Ṛgveda and Yajurveda were taught. Provision was made here for one teacher and ten pupils
for the studying of each of these two Vedas.

I.1.9. Tiruvāṭuturai, Tanjore Dist. --- A.D. 1121

An inscription of the third year of Vikramacōla, A. D. 1121, from Tiruāṭuturai mentions gifts
of land given to Bhṭṭas who were well versed in the Vedas.

I.1.10. Tiruviḍaikkaḷi, Tanjore Dist. ---- A.D. 1229

This inscription mentions the provision made for the free feeding in the local maṭha of
Brahmin students of the Vedanta from the Malabar country (276 of ARE 1925).

Apart from the several inscriptions that are mentioned above, we also see that several Tamil
literary texts mentions the Vedic learning or speaks about the Vedic scholars:

I. 2. Tamil Literature
I.2.1. Paṭṭiṉappālai, (ப"#னp பாைல)
)r நாpப,-m /லt12 ேம5m nīr nāppaṇṇum nilattiṉ mēlum
ஏமாpப இ89 9:;k ēmāppa iṉitu tuñcik
=ைள க@t9p பைக ேபணா9 kiḷai kalittup pakai pēṇātu
வைலஞr µ2El G2 πறழKm
Lைலஞr Mரmைப மா ஈ,டKm valaiñar muṉṟil mīṉ piṟaḻavum
ெகாைல க#n9m களK )k=Sm vilaiñar kurampai mā īṇṭavum
அமரr ேபUSm ஆK1 அWt1Sm kolai kaṭintum kaḷavu nīkkiyum
நl ஆெனாX பகX ஓmπSm amarar pēṇiyum āvuti aruttiyum
நா# மைறேயாr *க, பரpπ1m nal āṉoṭu pakaṭu ōmpiyum
ப,Uயm அ"#Sm ப[m பதm ெகாXt9m nāṉ maṟaiyōr pukaḻ parappiyum
],Uயm µ"டா த,Uழl வா^kைகk paṇṇiyam aṭṭiyum pacum patam koṭuttum
ெகாXm ஏ_ நைச உழவr (194- 205)
puṇṇiyam muṭṭā taṇṇiḻal vāḻkkaik
koṭum ēḻi nacai uḻavar (194- 205)
நா# மைறேயாr *க, பரpπ1m (l. 202) “spread the fame of Brahmins who recite the
four Vedas”.

I.2.2. Kalittokai (4th A.D.)

ஆ4 அ6 அnதணrk;, அWமைற பல பகrn9, āṟu aṟi antaṇarkku, arumaṟai pala pakarntu,
ேதb )r சைடk கரn9, 1c]ரm d மXt9k, tēṟu nīr caṭaik karantu, tiripuram tī maṭuttuk,
eறாமl MEtதத2 ேமl ெசl5m, கXm ef, kūṟāmal kuṟittataṉ mēl cellum, kaṭum kūḷi,
மாறாp ேபாr மU gடhb எ, ைகயாy! ேகll இ8;
māṟāp pōr maṇi miṭaṟṟu eṇ kaiyāy! kēḷ iṉi;

I. 2.3. Tevaram (7.100.8)

அர ஒ@, ஆகமŋகll(ll) அEவாr அE ேதாt1ரŋகll,
<ர<ய ேவதஒ?, <@எலாm வnC எDrnC இைசpப,
வரm ம@ வாண2 வn9(v) வ_தn9, எனkM ஏbவ9 ஓr
;ரm ம@ யாைன தnதா2---ெநா#tதா2மைல உtதமேன.

_ara _oli, _ākamaṅkaḷ(ḷ) _aṟivār _aṟi tōttiraṅkaḷ,

viraviya vēta_oli, viṇ_elām vantu _etirntu _icaippa,

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varam mali vāṇaṉ vantu(v) vaḻitantu, _eṉakku _ēṟuvatu _ōr
ciram mali yāṉai tantāṉ---noṭittāṉmalai _uttamaṉē.

(அர ஒ@, ஆகமŋகll அEவாr அEேதாt1ரŋகll LரLய வதஒ@, L, எலாm வn9 எ1rn9
இைசpப: `the sound of the name arakara, the sound of ākamaṅkaḷ, the sound of songs of praise
which were sung by intelligent people and the sound of the vētam-s which were of many kinds, to
reverberate throughout the sky filling it completely.' Translation by VM Subramanya Iyer, Digital
Tevaram, http://www.ifpindia.org/digitaldb/site/digital_tevaram/INDEX.HTM)

I.2.4. Divyaprabandham – Tirumaṅkai Āḻvār's Periya Tirumoḻi 4.2.2

pallavan tikaḻ pūṅkaṭam pēṟiyak kāḷiyaṉ paṇavaraṅkil,
ollai vantuṟap pāyntaru naṭañceyta umparkkō ṉuṟaikōyil,
nalla ventaḻal mūṉṟu-nāl vētam-ai vēḷviyō ṭ-āṟaṅkam,
valla vantaṇar malkiya nāṅkūr vaṇpuru ṭōttamamē (4.2.2)

“Vaṇpuruṣottamam [in] Naṅkūr, [where] flourish brahmins capable [of mastering]

the three hot fires, the four Vedas, the five sacrifices [and] the six aṅgas.”
Thus from the inscriptions as well as from the early Tamil texts we get an idea of the antiquity of
the Vedic studies in Tamil Nadu.

II. Brahmins of Tamil Nadu

II. 1. As MAHADEVAN (2009: 50) observes, based on the Pallava-Cōḷa copper plate epigraphy, it
seems that, in the beginning, the Brahmins of Tamil Nadu were “settling in the north and north-
east parts of the Tamil country, the Tonṭaimanṭalam area and its northern outskirts in the
Vēnkata hills and what is southern Andhra Pradesh today, and later [in] the Kaveri delta. Their
places of domicile before arrival in the Tamil country are, in most cases, villages in southern
Andhra Pradesh, but these Brahmans as a whole are traceable from their Śrauta Sūtra traditions
ultimately to the Mathurā region of the Yamunā river.”

II.2. Presence of Brahmins in the Sangam Tamil Country

Arrival and presence of Brahmins in the Tamil country during the Sangam period is well known.
It is worthy of note that about ten percentage of the Sangam poets were brahmins. We find
enough evidence to show the existence of brahmins in Sangam literature:
“And all those horses of our man of the tall hills
have tufts of hair like the Brahman urchins of our town”
(Aiṅkurunūṛu 202; A.K.Ramanujan’s [1985: 9] translation)

“[T]he tuft on his head is like the mane of a horse”

(Puṛanānūṛu 310:11; George Hart’s [1999: 179] translation)

The description of the agnicayana in the Puṛanānūṛu 224 (ll. 6-9) further confirms that the
brahmins were performing the śruta rituals during that time and we see, too, the reference to four
gotras in the Sangam texts: Kaunḍiniya-Vasiṣṭha, Kauśika-Viśvāmitra, Ātreya, Gautama-Āṅgirasa.

II. 3. Śākhās mentioned in some early records

From the Taṇṭamtōṭṭam copper plates of Nandivarman II, dated to his Regnal Year 33, A.D. 765-
766, we get details of 467 families and also the vedaśākhās of 442 families (Āpastaṃba 274;

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Hiraṇyakeśi 18; Bhāradvāja 1; Pravacana 101; Āśvalāyana 7; Candogā 23; Kātyāyana 8; Agniveśya 2;
Paviḷiya 4; Jaiminīya 1; Kalarakha 1; Kaṭu 1; Goduma 2)

Also, in the Karandai plates, we see a grand grant to 1080 families by Rajendra I, (A.D. 1019-1021),
a vast area, Tribhuvanamahādāvic-caturvēdimaṅgalam, named for the king’s mother, made up from
some 52 villages, covering a total area of 20,305 acres and in this too we get the details of the
śākhās of brahmins for whom the grant was meant: Āpastaṃba 615; Hiraṇyakeśi 42; Bhāradvāja
11; Āgastya 29; Baudhāyana 54, Āgniveśya 2, Āśvalāyana 154, Ś/Jāmbavya 4; Drāhyāyaṇa 77;
Jaiminīya 41; Kātyāyana 50.

III. The present position of Vedic Śākhas and Vedic recitation2

III. 1. According to traditional accounts, in the beginning, there seem to have been one thousand
and one hundred and thirty one branches (Ṛgveda – 21 branches of which two are still current;
Yajurveda – 101, of which six are alive; Sāmaveda – 1000 branches, only three in existence,
Atharvaveda – with nine branches, only two surviving) of the Vedas, but now, it seems only
thirteen are available today.

Veda Śākhās
ṚGVEDA YAJURVEDA SĀMAVEDA ATHARVAVEDA
1. Śākala I. Kṛṣṇayajurveda: - Three recensions Kauthuma Paippalāda
-Kaṭha (Kapisthala)
-Maitrāyaṇīya
-Taittirīya
2. Bāṣkala 2. Śuklayajurveda Rāṇāyanīya Śaunaka
-Mādhyaṇdina
-Kaṇva

Jaiminīya

At present the most widely spread śākhā in Tamil Nadu is the Kṛṣṇa-Yajurveda, followed with the
Ṛgveda, Sāmaveda and lastly the Śuklayajurveda. Even though we have seen in some epigraphs that
the Atharvaveda was taught earlier in Tamil Nadu, now Atharvaveda is extant in Tamil Nadu or
even in the south.

In Tanjore and Tirunelveli villages we find the Coḷiyas, who are Pūrvaśikhābrahmans, or who wear
their tuft on the front of their heads, followers of Ṛgveda (Śākalaśākhā). Ālaṅguḍi,
Rādhāmaṅgalam, Kunniyūr, Tiruvaiyāru are the villages in Tanjore having Ṛgvedins. They are also
to be found in Vallanāḍu (in Śrīvaikuṇṭham taluq) in the Tirunelveli and Vemabttur near
Śivagaṅga. The Mukkāṇis of Tiruccendūr too are followers of Ṛgveda.

Since Kṛṣṇa-Yajurveda is widely spread in the Tamil land we may look into the present position of
Śukla-Yajurveda in its Kāṇva school. They are found in Iñjikkollai, Alivalam, Śedinīpuram and
Tiruvārūr in Tanjore district, Śiruhāmaṇi and Pruhāmaṇi in Trichy district and near Śermādevi in
Tirunelveli district. In Trichy there are around fifty Śukla-Yajurvedins at Vaihanallūr and there is
a pāṭhaśālā too for Śukla-Yajurveda. We also find the representation of this śākhā among the temple
arcakas of Kāñcī, Śrīrangam etc.

It is worth to note here that in Tamil Nadu, in Cidambaram, there is one Parameśvara Dikṣitar
who studied four Vedas under different gurus. While the Yajurveda-Maitrayaṇīya śākhā was known
2
For a detailed study on the present position of Veda śākhās, see WITZEL, Michael, Forthcoming.

5
only to two members in Nasik, during 1976, Parameśvara Dikṣitar along with one Kalyana Rama
Sarma learned the entire Yajurveda-Maitrayaṇīya śākhā from one Nana Joshi of Nasik. Parameśvara
Dikṣitar so far taught the Maitrāyaṇīya śākhā to nearly thirty members and made it a living
tradition, but sadly now in Nasik, where it was prevalent once upon a time, now has lost its
tradition.

Let us now turn to the Sāman traditions of Tamil Nadu. The most prevalent school of Sāmaveda
now in Tamil Nadu is the Kauthuma also known as Chandoga Sāman in inscriptions. There are two
styles known in Tamil Nadu of the Sāma recitation. In Mullandram and other places in the
northern parts of tamil country, there is the Sāman-singing representing an older form. In this
style, letters like Ka, Ca, Ta which were used in manuscripts as notation symbols intruded into the
text and the singing, as integral parts of the recital. Thus this style is also known as Kacaṭa or
Kāttāyi Sāman. Two vedic scholars who were dissatisfied with the employment of these
notational syllables and their intrusion into the text went to Poona and brought with them
manuscripts of Saman and a style of singing in which the consonantal symbols and their intrusion
into the text were not found and numerals 1, 2, 3, were used for notation.3
Apart from Mullandram, we find Sāmaveda families in Aḍayappalam, Anakkāvūr, Panayūr and
Paranūr. In this, the Panayūr-style is a mixed one.

The Jaiminīya-Sāman transmission can be classified into three groups:

1. Namputiri Jaiminiyas of the Central Kerala
2. Coḷiya Jaiminis of Koṭuntirappali, Palakkad.
3. Coliya Jaiminis in Tamil Nadu (Tokur, Trichy Dist.);

The Koḍuntirappalli also is known for its Jaiminīya-Sāma brahmins, who are of Tamil Nadu. At
present there are three senior scholars who teach Jaiminīya Sāman, as well lead role in the
performances of the gṛhya rituals, the senior being, Sri. K. R. Tiruveṅkaṭanātha Sarma.4
It is worth to note that for the indication of the palm and fingers of the musical notation during
the recitation, it seems the Koṭuntirapply brahmins follow a manual named, the Pāṇikriyātantra or
Dhāraṇa of Sabhāpati and the movements of the palm and fingers they follow are quite different
from the Kauthuma reciters.
In Tamil Nadu, we find the Jaiminīya-Sāman brahmins in Tōkūr village situated outside Trichy on
the banks of the river Kaveri. In late 1960's with the support from the Kanchi Mutt, Sri. T.
Rajagopala Aiyaṅkar founded a Jaiminīya pāṭhaśāla to shore up the Tamil chanting traditions of
the Jaiminīya-Sāma. At present one Makarabhusanam Aiyankar, who hails from Tentirupperai
(Tirunelveli) is the teacher in this pāṭhaśāla.
As we have seen earlier some inscriptions refer to the Talavakāra-Sāman school. According to
scholars Talavakāra is only older or alternative name for the Jaiminīya. We still find the
Talavakāra śākhā in some parts of Tamil Nadu, Viz. At Kiḍāmangalam, Iḷayāttangudi, Śeṣamūlai
etc. in Tanjore District and also in some location of Trichy. Some of them are found to be
Vaiṣṇavas. In 1923 there was a move to setting up of a school for teaching Talavakāra Sāman at
Śrīrangam.
IV. Vedic affiliations of those serving as priests or arcakas in Temples
The Dikṣitas of Cidambaram Naṭarāja temple represents the Ṛgveda and Kṛṣṇayajurveda. While all
the Kṛṣṇayajurveda priests are of Bodhāyana the Ṛgveda are of Āśvalāyana. While the archakas of

3
cf. RAGHAVAN 1962.
4
cf. FINNIAN Forthcoming.

6
the Govindarāja shrine in the Cidambaram temple complex are Vaikhānasas following
Kṛṣṇayajurveda, in Śrīraṅgam all the temple arcakas are Kāṇva-Śukla-Yajurvedins. In Kāñcī, those
of the Varadarāja temple are Śukla-Yajurvedins, while in the Triplicane temple Madars, are Kṛṣṇa
Yajurvedins.
IV. 1. Āgniveśya Brahmans of Auvaidayar Kovil
Special mention needs towards the Āgniveśya school of Kṛṣṇayajurveda. The brahmins of the
Avudaiyar Kovil, are Pūrvaśikhā brahmins of the Taittirīyaśākhā of the Kṛṣṇa-Yajurveda School, who
belong to the Śōḻiya Śaiva group of brahmins. The brahmin families settled in the area around the
Avudaiyar temple seem to be the only ones following the Āgniveśyagṛhyasūtra today. In fact, at
present there are only eleven such families and all of them are in one way or other affiliated to
the Avudaiyar temple. It is said that only Āgniveśyas are authorised to worship in this temple:

अाि$%&यक)लात्5 अ-यगो0स2भ4तमानवः 90म4:त;िशक= ;व> ?पABत्, CपनमाचEत्।

सGोजाता9दम-0JK शत> LMत्। (Ms. A, p. 5)

In fact, most of the manuscripts used for the Trivandrum edition of Āgniveśyagṛhyasūtra6, which is
the only available edition of this text, were collected from members of the Āgniveśya families
settled around the Avudaiyar temple. I was able to procure two prayogas on the
Āgniveśyagṛhyasūtra which had not previously been known to scholars and these prayogas also
seem to have originated from the Avudaiyar Kovil area.

There are three different sūtra traditions among the Pūrvaśikhas of Taittirīyaśākhā of the Kṛṣṇa-
Yajurveda School, namely the Baudhāyana (both Śrauta and Gṛhya), the Vādhūla (both Śrauta and
Gṛhya) and the Āgniveśya (only Gṛhya). As discussed above, the priests of the Avudaiyar Kovil belong
to this third group of Āgniveśya7. It is significant that all three groups share a tradition of
performing temple rituals. While the Baudhāyana brahmins in Tamil Nadu, who are chiefly
temple priests known as Gurukkals, adhere to the Śaivāgama praxis and undergo Śaiva initiation,
the priests of the Avudaiyar Kovil do not undergo Śaiva initiation and follow Vedic liturgies for
their temple rituals. The Vādhūla Nambudiri brahmins of Kerala8, especially the Taraṇanallūr
family of Nedumpally Mana9, settled in Irinjalikuda area, are the chief priests of ten famous Viṣṇu
5
अाि$%&यक)लात् conj: अा$Nय%&यक)लात् Ms.
6
Five manuscripts are used for the Trivandrum edition. Among these, three manuscripts are from
Avudaiyar Kovil, one from Arantangi (Tanjore District) and another from Kadiramangalam (Tanjore
Districit). The chief priest of Avudaiyar temple is in possession of one manuscript of the
Āgniveśyagṛhyasūtra, but it is not clear whether this manuscript is used for the edition or not.
7
The brahmins settled in Avudaiyar Kovil belongs to the Chozia category of brahmins. The Chozia
brahmins are divided into several groups, namely Tirukattiur, Madalur, Visalur, Puthalur, Senganur, and
Avudaiyar Kovil. Among these only the Avudaiyar Kovil brahmins follow the Āgniveśyagṛhyasūtra.
8
Today there exist sixteen Vādhūla families in Kerala, of which the Kiṭaṅṅaśśeri and Neṭumpaḷḷi seem to
be the prominent ones and they hold several manuscript copies of the Vādhūlagṛhyasūtra. cf. Mieko KAJIHARA
(2008-2009; 27-28).
9
It is said that the first group of temple priests to come to Kerala were the Taraṇanallūr family. The
Taraṇanallūr family claims that they arrived in Kerala from the Nellūr area of Andhra Pradesh (as may be
confirmed by their family name). The descendants of this family are presently settled in Iriñjālikuḍa near
Trichur. One of the inscriptions found in Iriñjāikuḍa dates to 855 A. D (cf. S.A.S. SARMA, 2009:319-320) and this
may indicate that the Taraṇanallūr family were settled in the area by this time.
According to the editor of the Āgniveśyagṛhyasūtra, there were followers of Āgniveśyagṛhyasūtra in certain
villages on the banks of the Uttara Pinakini (modern Pennar), in Nellore District, but he later found this to

7
shrines in Kerala, whose temple rituals are based on the Kerala ritual manuals, which incorporate
several Vedic passages in their ritual process and are quite different from the late South Indian
śaiva manuals being used by the previously mentioned Gurukkals of Tamil Nadu.10
V. Eightfold techniques to preserve the Vedic texts
For the perfection of memorization and preservation of the Vedic text in its purity, eightfold
techniques are devised:

jaṭā mālā śikhā rekhā dhvajo daṇḍo ratho ghanaḥ /

aṣṭau vikṛtayaḥ proktāḥ kramapūrvā manīṣibhiḥ //
(Vedavikṛtilakṣaṇasaṃgraha.h (BORI, Pune, 1978 ), Vyāḍikṛtā Vikṛtavallī 5) //

The Aṣṭavikṛtilakṣaṇāni, a text that deals on the eight vikṛtis, salutes the brahmins who recite the
jaṭā-pāṭha etc.

jaṭādivikṛtīnāṃ ye pārāyaṇaparāyaṇāḥ /
mahātmāno dvijaśreṣṭāste jñeyāḥ paṅktipāvanāḥ // (Aṣṭavikṛtilakṣaṇāni)

These are devised for the perfection of memorization and preservation of the Vedic text in purity.
There are even now a large number of Vedic scholars in Tamil Nadu proficient in Pada, Krama, Jaṭa
and Ghana, but only a few who could recite the other forms Mālā, Ratha etc. The Varṇakrama is
interesting as it gives a complete phonetic description of each sound and shows the keen and
accurate phonetic sense and knowledge of the ancient Indian Vedic scholar, and there are some
even today being trained or capable of reciting this Varṇakrama in Tamil Nadu, in Maṇṇārkuḍi and
in Maṇakkāl.

VI. Contribution of Tanjore for the Vedic Tradition in Tamil Nadu

It seems that the śrauta tradition of present-day Tamil Nadu has largely spread from the Tanjore
District and that its flourishing there is largely due to the patronage of the Nayak of the 15 th
century, (especially of the then Chancellor Govinda Dikṣitar) and during this period, in 1542 the
Raja Veda Pathasala in Kumbakonam for the study of Ṛg, Yajur and Sāmaveda was established. This
institution is still functioning. It is noteworthy that there are still more than fifty āhitāgnis in this
district. Sengalipuram is a big center of Vedic ritual and Sri Anantharama Dikshitar of this village
propagated the cause of śrauta religion.
It is also essential to mention here the great contributions of Sri Candrasekharasarasvati
Swamigal of Kachipuram Mutt, who has been instrumental in spreading the Vedic education in
Tamil Nadu in the recent years, and especially in promoting the śākhās that were at the edge of
extinction, such as the Maitrāyaṇīya-śākhā of the Kṛṣṇa-Yajurveda.

be incorrect (Ravi Varma, 1940:vi). But since the above mentioned Vādhūla family, the Taraṇanallūr family,
claim that they are from Nellur, Andhra Pradesh, there may be a chance that the Āgniveśyagṛhyasūtra
brahmins as well as the Vādhūla brahmins come from this area and there might have been a settlement of
these two groups there or it may be that they both came from the area before they accepted their present
gṛhyasūtras.
10
According to the Taraṇanallūr family they have a ritual manual known as Anuṣṭhānagrantham (also
known as Paraśurāmapaddhati) meant exclusively for them. This is not a complete ritual manual, but
contains only certain do’s and don’ts. It looks as though they also make use of other ritual manuals which
are generally used in the temples of Kerala. For a detailed study of ritual manuals of Kerala, see S.A.S. SARMA
(2009:320-339).

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VII. Bhavatrāta's (author of Jaiminīyaśrautasūtravṛtti) ancestors belong to Tamil Nadu.
As we have noticed in the Tribhuvanai inscription, we see that in the Pāṭhaśāla there, the
Satyāṣāḍa or the Hiraṇyakeśīyasūtra of the Kṛṣṇayajurveda was taught. The existence of Satyāṣāḍa
brahmin in this area is further confirmed by the commentaries by Mātṛdatta on the Satyāṣāda
Śrauta Sūtra and Gṛhya Sūtra, whose family belonged to Tiṭṭaṅguḍi in Tamil Nadu. Bhavatrāta,
son of Mātṛdatta who wrote commentaries on Kauṣītakīgṛhyasūtra and Jaminīyaśrautasūtra
confirms that their families are from Tiṭṭaṅguḍi, in Tamil Nadu:

tasmin saṁjajñirē vaṁśē sāmagā guṇaśālinaḥ /

siṁhā iva suvarṇādrau dhiṣṇyāgnaya ivādhvare //
sa vasiṣṭhakuṭiṃ nāma grāmaṃ coleṣv avekṣitam /
(Bhavatrāta, Jaiminīyaśrautasūtravṛtti)

VIII. Conclusion
As Prof. Rajendran in his concluding speech of the seminar (RAJENDRAN: 2014:1) held in Kadavallur in
2014 observed (in which the present paper too was presented), though “South India is far
removed from the geographical area in which most of the Vedic hymns were composed, it has
been a safe haven of the Vedic culture for centuries, preserving, reviving and enriching the
tradition with institutional support, pedagogic tools, explanatory texts, as well as ritualistic and
textual performances.” The royal patronage provided to the Vedic learning in Tamil Nadu is quite
visible from the several inscriptions of Tamil Nadu. It is also noteworthy that among the different
recitation styles that are known to exist, the one followed in Tamil Nadu seems to be the easily
accessible one.

The role of the Vedic scholars of Tamil Nadu in keeping alive the vedic tradition even today calls
for a special attention and it is necessary to bring-out a comprehensive survey of Vedic scholars
and Vedic institutions of Tamil Nadu. As Prof. Raghavan observed, “as south India is the nursery-
bed from which the Vedic saplings could be transplanted to other parts of India, efforts should be
taken to see that South India and the Tamil Land which its national poet Subramanya Bharati
described as “the Tamil land full of Veda” (Vedam nirainda Tamilnadu) does not lose its precious
Vedic heritage.” (RAGHAVAN 1956: 24)

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