Kashmir, Tamilnadu, Panini, Abhinavagupta, etc.

[N. Ganesan]

N. Ganesan wrote:
>>  BTW, you (ie., DVN Sarma) were identifying Potala as
>>  Tirupati(tiruvEngaDam) in Indology  before I started my
>>  Potalaka posts. What happened to that id.?

DVN Sarma replied:
>I never did that. I was identifying it with Nagarjunakonda only.

  Quoted from my memory. Now, checked in Indology archives.

  On Friday, 28 Nov 1997 17:22:12, Sri DVN Sarma wrote in Indology
  recording the Buddhist connections to Tirupati. See below.
  I thought Geofrrey's question and DVN's answers to it point
  to DVN's thinking that Tirupati is Potalaka.

  Clearly, when G. Samuel was talking of Potalaka, the Buddhist
  site as Tirupati, DVN Sarma was emphasizing Tirupati's
  Saivaite connections. See below.

  Now of course, DVN is saying there should be no 'Saivaite
  connection to Mt. Potalaka. Looks like a major
  contradiction.

Regards
N. Ganesan

At 01:25 PM 11/28/97 GMT, Geoffrey Samuel wrote:
>In one of the Crystal Mirror volumes on Indian Buddhist history (ed
>Tarthang Tulku), Potalaka is identified with Tirupati (i.e. the
>famous Venkatesvara temple and pilgrimage site) in southern A.P.

DVN Sarma replied:
<<
The mountain on which the sacred shrine is situated is called
 Tirumala = Sri mala = auspicious mountain.

There are seven hills which the pilgrims used to climb by strenuous
path. ...
Contrary to the Hindu custom of keeping a zikha when shaving the head,
 at Tirupati pilgrims shave their heads completely like buddhist
bhikkus. Very few orthodox brahmins do this showing that they do not
approve of it but are just allowing the custom to go on.

The name VEnkaTEzwara reminds of MahEzwara in the anecdote of
GandavyUha. [...]
The prolific composer of devotional songs `sankIrtanAs' on the deity
annamAchArya of the 15th century says that the deity is worshipped as
viSNu,  parabrahma, ziva, Adibhairava and Zakti. This means that
people did not accept rAmAnujA's identification of the idol as that
 of viSNu even after hundreds of years.

The idol is said to be at the center of the sanctum sanctorum. This
is a zaiva custom. The deity is at the back of the sanctum sanctorum
 in vaiSNava temples. - DVNS
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