Origins of Caste System in Ancient India

[Sreenivas Paruchuri]

Dear Dr. Palaniappan,

> > "Cannibalism? - The Story of Chilaya

> This story is remarkable in its resemblance to the Tamil story of ciRuttoNTar,
> the Pallava general who is said to have sacked vAtApi, the cALukyan capital,
> and who is said to have offered his son as food to ziva. He is one of the 63
> zaivite saints known as nAyan2mAr. Is the Chilaya story in Kannada or Marathi?
> How old is this story?

For an excellany analysis of the Tamil and Telugu versions of this
ciRuttoNTar/siriyaaLa story, please check, Prof. Shulman's:

The hungry God : Hindu tales of filicide and devotion
Univ. of Chicago Press, 1993, Chicago
ISBN 0-226-75571-1

The well-known Telugu mediaeval poet; Srinaatha (14th century), while
creating; _haravilaasam_, his puranicized version of Saiva material
- drawn in part from (veeraSaiva poet) Paalkuriki sOmanaatha's work-
re-narrates the story in calm and harmonious fashion. Shulman compares
this (gruesome) story of "ciRuttoNTar/siriyaaLa" in Tamil, VeeraSaivaite
texts and in Srinatha's.

Regards,                --Sreenivas