Kashmir, Tamilnadu, Panini, Abhinavagupta, etc.

[Venkatraman Iyer]

Dear Mr. Raja,

In a message dated 2/19/99 4:48:29 PM Central Standard Time,
raja at IFA.HAWAII.EDU you write:

> Repeat: the evidence must show that
>  **Potikai/Potiyil** (not merely the
>  unidentified "Po-to-lo-chia") was a
>  very important Buddhist site.  It
>  is welcome to be an important Saivite
>  center as well.  But it MUST be a
>  very important BUDDHIST site.
>


 I do not know if you are following the discussion.  Please review
 Ganesan's posts on February 2 and 18. Evidence has been presented
 already that points to Hsuan-tsang and Chih-sheng believing that
 Potalaka was located in the Malaya mountains of the Pandya country.
 The Potalaka description of Hsuan-tsang matches the description of
 Potiyil. Obviously, they considered it an  important Buddhist site
 at that time. (In any case, you cannot expect Hsuan-tsang
 to say that the Potalaka mountain is so many miles from Ambasamudram
 or Tenkasi railway station. :-))

 As regards your insistence that it must be a Buddhist place, I don't
 think it has to be a Buddhist site *now*. Consider the Vaishnavite
 site of Alakarkoil near Madurai. Many may not know that it used to be
 one of the six important holy places of Lord Murugan.

 Venkatraman Iyer


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