S. K. Balasubramanian. Ph. D.,
B-8, Apsara Apartments,
259, Bund Garden Road,
Pune 411 001. India
Phone: + 91(20) 26120627.
E mail <smanian @sancharnet.in
25 JULY at the Dnyana Pabodhini
school Pune
before the Rashtravad Abhyas samiti
The History Of South India
I have chosen the topic of today
(25 July 04) for three reasons. There was a demand by the DMK for recognition
of Tamil as a language of antiquity comparable to Sanskrit. The second
reason was the defeat of the BJP in the recent elections. Hindutva was
portrayed as communal. Even the BJP leaders were apologetic about Hindutva.
A DMK minister inthe center had sais before a Christian gatheriing that
he is ashamed of having been born a Hindu. He has more valid reason for
shame than his birth. He owes tothe National banks 10-15 crores ($2-3 millions).
He has shown no inclination toreturnthe amounts. The most important reason
is to understand how the South was able to stem the tide of Islam. Islam
did not abate till the West became superior. Tribal Islamic incursions
into India stopped only after the British established their supremacy over
India.
The DMK demand is mischievous. I
brought out the fallacy of the demand in my letter in the TOI of 6th July
04. I quoted K.A.Nilkanta Sastri to show that even in the earliest times
the culture of Tamil Nadu had become a composite of the Aryan and Dravidian
elements and it was difficult to assign any part to one or the other culture
in a unique fashion. I pointed out that even the name of the Tamil
Grammar was an etymological profanity of Sanskrit terminology.
The DMK demand also tries to separate
the Tamils from mainstream India. Long ago I had pointed that the Tamil
script could be considered as a derivative of the Nagari script by certain
rules. The Aryan element was far older than the oldest Tamil literature.
Aryans were a people located in the Saraswati basin. The Rg veda makes
several references to the river. The river is no longer a myth. Satellite
imaging and digging bore wells had shown underground lakes formed along
the course of the river when it dried up after a cataclysmic event cut
out the river from its source in the Manasarovar lake. Isotope dating shows
that the event must have taken place around 7000 BC or 9000 years ago.
It was a mighty river about 27 Kms broad at some points. It carried more
water that all the north Indian rivers put together. This evidence alone
would put the age of Sanskrit at more than 9000 years. Tamil has no such
antiquity.
Agastya was the sage who carried
the Aryan culture south of the Vindhyas. The origin of the Aryans is the
next question to be faced. One view is that they are outsiders who strayed
into the sub-continent from Central Asia. In support of this is the fact
that Hindu culture shared several features with the Persian, Jewish and
Egyptian cultures. My own interpretation is that the cultural elements
would have radiated from the subcontinent to other countries. Each of one
these has some Hindu features but only the Indian Hinduism has all of them.
Mitra was a Hindu God known from
Persia to Scotland. We say 'shan no Mitra' (Mitra! Protect us)as the first
line in an invocation. There was a Mitraeum in Edinburgh. Zorastrian practices
and recitations are not merely similar to Hindu ones but even the origin
of the religion and its fire worship could be traced with reasonable certainty
in the Hindu mythology. So is the case with Judaism. The Hindu gods like
Mitra, Varuna and Indra were mentioned in the treaties of the Mittani kings
of Northern Syria and the Egyptians. Mitra worship involved ox-sacrifice.
There is a reference to a "maashaada rishbha" (Ox fed specially fattened
on pulses) in Jarasandha's capital. Zorastrianism, which considers the
bull holy, banished Mithraism for this reason.
The second reason for my choice
of the subject relates to the general ignorance of the Hindu intellectuals
about Hinduism which has generated self hatred among them. They are ignorant
not only of their own roots but also of their adversaries like the Muslims,
Christians and the communists. All these adversarial groups are well versed
in the techniques of debate. They defend very ably the indefensible. The
Islamists know the deficiencies of their religion, its cruel intolerance,
its appropriation of others' faith, science, architecture including buildings,
wealth and culture. The communists are also proficient in sophistry and
in the art of obfuscation.
Hindus should be made aware of the
origins, practice and crudities of Islam. History of North India suffers
from distortions engineered by the Communists and Islamists. It is not
generally known that the communists were responsible for the defection
and desertion of the German army in the first world war. It is also not
known that the German communists financed the Russian revolution that brought
Lenin to power. The German communist party was the largest party in Europe.
The Jews dominated the membership of the party. Marx himself was the son
of Jewish converts. Trotsky was a Jew. The Jews had a score to settle with
the Czarist Russia which sponsored and supported large scale pogroms against
them. Part of Hitler's antipathy to the Jews arose from his pathological
patriotism and hatred of communism. The members of the communist
party were a thoroughly brainwashed lot. The Gestapo or Hitler's spies
could easily ferret out the communists by the frequency of occurrence of
catch phrases and idioms in their speech.
The communist pseudo-intellectuals
are mainly responsible for the propaganda against Hinduism and for the
anti-Hindutva sentiment in the general population. Their general purpose
is to create anarchy and to benefit from the collapse of the established
institutions. A history of South India was written in 1947 by Prof. .K.
A. Nilakanta Sastri of the Madras University projecting the Hindu view
of history. It had run through four editions and a fifth edition had been
brought out by the OUP last year. This lecture is based on the book.
Sastri points out the importance
of South Indian history. It was here that Islam was stopped in its tracks.
It was one continuous story of strenuous resistance to Islam from the days
of the Badami-based Chalukyas in ca. 735 to Shivaji and the later Marathas
of mid 1700s.
The Saraswati Aryans concentrated
on developing the rich lands of the Ganga plains. The burning of the Khandava
forest led to the founding of Indraprastha. The Aryans of the Ramayana
period were not familiar with the South. It is possible to locate Rama's
peregrinations on today's map up to Nashik. Beyond that, it is not possible
to identify the places mentioned. The sandbanks in the Palk straits would
lend support to Rama's bridge across the sea but between Panchavati and
Sri Lanks there is a big gap. On the other hand Mahabharata refers to Antaki
(Antioch), Rome and Greek cities.
Geographically the northern part
of South India is dominated by the Deccan plateau. The major rivers originate
here but irrigate the coastal plains. Till the modern times the coastal
plains produced surplus food to cater to the entire region.
There is no mention of any conflict
with the locals as the Aryans moved southwards. The pre-Aryan peoples belonged
to various stocks like Pigmy, Australoid and Negroid types. There was assimilation
rather than conquest and subjugation. When the South comes into historical
focus these original people had disappeared leaving a homogeneous mass
of uniform dark skins and short stature. This had an important effect on
the latter day society. The South never had 'four castes'. There were only
two castes- the Brahmins and the rest. There were several subdivisions
based on professions. The Kshatriya and the Vaishya castes were absent.
The Reddis openly declared that they were taking up the defense of Hinduism
in the absence of Kshatriyas.
There are two South Indias. The
first is the geographical South whose border is the Vindhya mountain range.
Then there is the cultural South India whose northern border was at the
Tungabhadra river. It included Andhra. The food of the deep south is Idli-Sambhar
based, the music is carnatic and the dance is Bharata Natyam or its variants
like Kuchipudi and Mohini Attam. Except Tamil all the languages are recognizably
derived from Sanskrit. The percussion instrument is the double-sided Melam
of the Tamils. The noisy Nadaswaram is the pipe instrument. Northern Deccan
food is based on wheat or coarser grains. Music is Hindustani. There is
no formal or stylized dance. Only folk dances like the Lavani are known.
The Tabla and the drum are the percussion instruments. The shrill Shehnai
is the pipe. In decibel measure it stands no comparison to Nadaswaram.
The major difference lies in the sedentary and languorous culture of the
Southern part and he vigorous activism of the north Deccan.
The Vishnu Purana speaks of the
Andhras and Dravidas. The first term should include Maharashtra and the
second one all the rest. The Satavahanas in the late Centuries BC were
the first rulers in the South. They were based at Paithan but probably
were Andhras. They took on matriarchal names like Gautami Putra Satakarni.
In the second century the three
kings of Tamil country, the Chera, Chola and Pandyas, take over. It represents
the most glorious period in Tamil literary history. There was a Sangam
or association of poets in Madurai. The Sangam literature was the earliest
known for any Indian language other than Sanskrit. Even in Tamil of the
day the influence of Sanskrit is quite obvious. The literary works throw
light on the life of the period. Occupational groups lived separately close
to towns and their lives were permeated by a pervasive sense of social
solidarity. Monarchy was the universal form of Government. Agriculture
was the mainstay of the polity. Trade was another. Trade with Rome was
brisk. The port cities like Kaveripatnam were crowded with foreigners.
Even today Roman coins are recovered routinely all over the country. Trade
with the far-east including China was also common.
Then the Pallavas rose in the South.
They have no relation to the Pahlavas of Persia in spite of the name. They
were northerners who had assimilated the Southern mores. Kanchipuram was
their capital. Neither the Pallavas nor any other Southern Kings claim
Kshatriya status. They claimed their right to rule on their own power not
to birth. The contemporaries of the Pallavas were the Chalukyas of Badami,
also called Vatapi. Under Pulakesin II, the Chalukyas invaded Pallava land
and were roundly defeated by the Pallava Narasimhaverman in 643 CE. Badami
was stormed and taken by the Pallava king. This war broke the backbone
of the Badami Chalukyas though they continued for another 100years.
This war had far reaching consequences.
Though Pulakesin was a Hindu monarch the Buddhist influence was strong
in his realm. Tamil sources speak of a Buddhist priest of eminence, Naganandi.
I am not sure if this is Nagarjuna. The defeat eliminated Buddhism in the
South totally. The removal of Buddhism contributed to the resolute resistance
of the South to Islamic expansion.
To understand this statement we
have to look into the differences between the two religions. Buddhism preached
a simple creed. "Be good" it seemed to say, "the world will be good to
you." The essence of the idea is the denial of external evil. Hinduism
is an evolutionary religion. It subscribed to the idea of "survival of
the fittest". Buddhism denied the centrality of a faith in God. Inward
introspection was prescribed indiscriminately. Hinduism decries atheism
and agnosticism. Taittiriya Upanishad says: "One denying the reality of
Brahman becomes a non-entity." (Asanneva sa bhavati asad Brahmeti veda
chet) Personal God is the fountain spring of hope that sustains life. The
Gita goes one step further and says: "Four types of good men worship me;
the troubled man, the seeker of knowledge or wealth and the Gnani." God
in fact is the source of hope for men. Buddhism undermined this hope. Meditation
is a tool and not an end in itself. By thrusting the esoteric on men unfit
to face the same, Buddhism extinguished the will to live. When it was faced
with a challenge from Islam it just caved in and could not survive.
The Hindu 'evolution' is different
from Darwinian evolution. It was Julian Huxley who coined the phrase "survival
of the fittest". It is a limiting concept. Hindu concept does not
look upon evolution as a competition for survival. Survival is to be based
on a creative complementary process not by destructive competition. Symbiotic
coexistence of species is the essence of Hindu concept of complementary
evolution. A simple extension of Huxley-Darwinism would lead one to Nietzsche
and his concept of evolutionary Superman. Nietzsche viewed life in rational
terms and imagined the rise of an Anti-Christ who shall destroy the inept
and the incompetent without compassion. Unfortunately Nietzsche could not
withstand the rigor of his own logic. He died in a lunatic asylum.
Hindu evolution is enshrined in
chapter 10 of the Gita that defines Excellence as divine. I consider this
chapter as the most important. It extends the idea of excellence to all
species including the Gods. It starts with "adityaanaam . aham Vishnu"
Amongst the bright objects of the sky God is Ravi. Amongst men God is the
king. Amongst the warriors God is Rama; amongst Generals He is Skanda;
amongst Pandavas he is Dhananjaya; amongst the poets He is Ushana; amongst
the priests He is Brihaspati. "Amongst the Rishis , I am Bhrigu" The list
extends to the ocean, to the fishes; to animals, snakes and to the
trees, to mountains, the rivers etc. Krishna sums it up thus: "Whereever
you see brilliance, satva, prosperity and durability see it as my manifestation."
In short divinity is Excellence.
This comprehensive definition means
that there is evolution at several levels. It is neither competitive nor
destructive. It is complementary and symbiotic. This inclusive attitude
sets Hinduism apart. The game of survival is not a zero sum one. One species
or individual does not survive at the expense of another.
The vigor of South India Badami-Chalukyas
was shown when the Arabs tried to move into south after winning victories
in Sindh. They were repelled by another Badami Chalukya, Pulakesin in the
reign of Vikramaditya II in 733. This defeat put back Islam by four hundred
years.
We move to the next era which is
dominated by three Tamil Kings (850-1200), the Western Chalukyas based
in Kalyani (973-1200 CE), the Eastern Chalkyas of Vengi in Andhra (900-1100)
and the Rashtrakutas (750-950). The Cholas were the preeminent paramount
power in this period. They dominated the eastern coast, Ceylon, South East
Asia, Malaya and Indonesia, then known as Sri Vijaya. The great Thanjavur
temple was built during this period.
The Islamic incursion into the South
started in the Khilji period under Malik Kafur. Ramadeva of Yadavagiri
was surprised by a swift attack by Ala-ud-din Khilji in 1296. Ramadeva
surrendered and later collaborated in all Islamic expeditions southwards.
An attack by Mohammed bin Tughlaq on the Kakatiyas of Warangal failed.
Kafur repaired this damage with help from Ramadeva. Kafur reduced
the Hoysalas of Karnatak and went into Malabar and later established a
short-lived Sultanate at Madurai. The founders of the Vijayanagara Kingdom,
Harihara and Bukka fought for Praaparudra II of Warangal. They were captured
and taken to Delhi. Prataparudra committed suicide on the way. The brothers
converted to Islam and became close advisors to the Sultan. They were sent
to establish peace in Dorasamudra, the Hoysala capital. Instead they deserted
the religion of their oppressors and started the Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar.
About the Bahmani Sultans Sastri
says on p.236: "The Bahmani rule was by no means an attractive chapter
in the history of the country. Among the eighteen sultans of the line,
there were few who were not drunkards and debauches surrounded by informers
and self-seekers. Some of the kings were bigots and none of them had a
sympathy for their subjects who were Hindus."
About the popular resistance to
Islam the author says on p214: "The people never willingly accepted Muslim
rule. They and their leaders were under the influence of strong revival
of Saivism and were in no mood to submit passively to the profanation and
destruction of their temples and to the corruption and overthrow of their
long-established usages. In its single minded devotion to Siva and
its ideal of perfect equality among the Bhakthas the new Saivism was a
worthy rival of Islam and the impetus it gave to politics had not a little
to do with the failure of the Tughlak rule to take roots in many parts
of Deccan."
Sastri is quite outspoken about
the role of Vijayanagar. "It was a great empire which, by resisting the
onslaughts of Islam, championed the cause of Hindu civilization and culture
in the South for close upon three centuries and thus preserved the ancient
tradition for the country in its polity, its learning and its arts. The
history of Vijayanagara is the last glorious chapter in the history of
independent Hindu South India."
The general anti-Islamic movement
did much to disturb the loyalty of Harihara and Bukka to the Sultan. It
was Vidyaranya who reconverted them and urged them to serve their country
and their ancestral religion in the old way. It was Vidyaanya's farsighted
inspiration that spurred them. "It needed a spiritual leader of his eminence
to receive them back from Islam into Hinduism and to render the act acceptable
to Hindu society." They founded their capital on Tungabhadra calling it
Vijayanagara and Vidyanagara. Here in the presence of God Virupaksha,
Harihara celebrated his coronation on 18 April 1336.
Tragedy results when a teacher of
Vidyaranya's stature and determination is not present on the scene. Murshid
was a Brahmin boy enslaved in an Afghan household. He converted to Islam
to escape slavery. Aurangazeb was impressed with his self-less loyalty,
honesty and scrupulous probity. Murshid was allowed to give his name to
the capital of Moghul Bengal. Sastri cites two Hindu generals who converted
to Islam under duress. One of them established the royal line of Berar
and perhaps was a progenitor of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
Vijayanagara was plagued by Islamic
intrusion for another hundred years. It was unstable and survived by wile
and guile. The arrival of the Portuguese on the West Coast changed its
equation with the Sultanates. Vijayanagar became the patron of the European
power, regularly imported pedigree horses through them and modernized its
techniques of warfare and its weaponry. The Madurai Sultanate was defeated
and the entire country south of Tungabhadra river was slated to reach height
glory and of power as the protector of Hinduism during the period of Krishnadeva
Raya. "Pre-eminent as a warrior Krishnadeva Raya was equally great as statesman,
administrator, and patron of the arts. The grandeur of his court excited
the admiration of many foreign visitors and their description of the great
wealth of Vijayanagar, its festivals, its military strengthand its heroic
king make eloquent reading."
The book ends with Viajyanagar and
Shivaji is not is not included in it. Shivji is part of the modern consciousness
and does not need elaborate treatment n a history dealing with the "forgotten
empire", as Vijayanagara was called by a British author.
Luckily for Hinduism the collapse
of the empire coincided with the arrival of the Europeans. Islamic tribalism
was no match to the discipline of the European armies, their sophisticated
new weaponry and their naval superiority. Together with their sciences
and technology their primacy was ensured. Islam had started retreating
and is now confined to the tribal borders of the earlier period. The story
is not yet complete but will lead to the complete elimination of the scourge
of humanity. Tribal Islam will disappear as its Mongol counterpart did.
The Brahmins are a much reviled
lot these days. Sastri says (p289)"In civil life Brahmins occupied a highly
respected position. With the exception of the few who entered state service
in the army and elsewhere, they generally devoted themselves to religious
and literary pursuits and stood outside the race for wealth and power.
They lived on voluntary gifts from all classes of people from the king
downwards." Sastri quotes Sir Charles Eliot "The intellectual superiority
of Brahmins as a caste was sufficiently real to ensure its acceptance and
in politics they had the good sense to rule by serving, to be ministers
and not kings. In theory and to a considerable extent in practice, the
Brahmins and their Gods are not an imperium in imperio but an imperium
super imperium." Sastri goes on "It cannot be denied that the Brahmin did
not always live up to the ideals of his vocation and that some movements,
like that of the Lingayats, raised a protest against the position accorded
to the Brahmin in society; but as a rule they he proved true to his trust
and the rest of the community willingly ackonwledged the justice of it
in every way."
It is in this context that I consider
that many events of recent Indian history as steps in the Hindu ascendancy
and consolidation. Plassey was financed by the Jagatsheths of Murshidabad
They paid the price at Buxar where they were disposed off by the combined
armies of the Moghul, Mir Kassim and the Nawab of Oudh. The defeat at Buxar
did away the delusion of Islamic military superiority. The second Panipat
war in 1761 destroyed whatever was left of feudal Islam. The war was financed
by the Shikarpuri Sindhi merchants. The 1857 was essentially Hindu uprising.
In 1947 despite the partition a Hindu India came into existence almost
after seven hundred years. The trend of history would lead to the further
consolidation of the Hindu polity.
In an "Introduction" to the book
R.Champakalakshmi argues that regional factors led to the development of
the cultures and languages with the implication that there was no Aryanization.
Similarly there was no religious content in the struggle between the Sultanates
and Vijayanagara. This is a perverse view. That regional forces had
played an important role is admitted by the fact that Tamil even after
Aryanization is different from Kannada. The overall character of the process
was Aryanization. If there was no religious content in the in the struggles
why was there destruction of the temples? There were intra-Hindu wars as
there were intra-Islamic fights. That does not invalidate the claim that
the overall influence was religious.
