Re Potala(ka), etc

[Chandrasekaran, Periannan]

> From: N. Ganesan
>   SrimAn. V. Iyer is correct in this. CilappatikAram, conservatively
> dated in 5th century AD by Western academics, speaks of Tirupati
> (ie., VEGkaTam) as belonging to Vishnu. Also, hundreds of poems
> by Srivaishnava Alvars as Tirupati belonging to Vishnu.
>
>



     From the book in Tamil "108 VaiNavath thhivya thEsa varalARu"
     authored by A. etirAjan published by the Sri VaiNava
     sidhdhAntha Publishers, 1995. The earliest account it gives of
     Thiruppathi is this involving toNTaimAn king(s) who ruled the
north tamilakam (centered around kAJcipuram):
     ...
     "the toNTaimAn king, who was granted the Lord's discus and conch
by the Lord at a desperate stage in his battle with his enemies
     to enable his eventual victory, petitioned the lord to grant His
     appearance with the discus and the conch to
      no human being other than himself (the king);
      the Lord grated that wish and
     he appeared without those from then on. There is no mention of
     which specific toNTaimAn was involved here even though there
     are many such incidents involving this toNTaimAn."....
     (page 666)
     and a few paras later on page 667...
     "When rAmAnujar (the great vaishNavaite master ca.12th century     AD?)
visited this temple, he heard people
     referring to the Lord as some sort of Siva and as belonging to
     a non-VaishNavaite sect of Hinduism owing to the lack of
     the discus and the conch in the Lord's hands as is common
     with ThirumAl at other temples. And on the toNTaimAn king's
     behest, Ramanujar requested the Lord to start showing his
     discus and conch again to everybody and his request was
     granted..."


     Chandra
>