The Tevaram, which forms part of Panniru Tirumaraigal (12 holy scriptures of Saivism), and the Nalayira Divya Prabandam of Vaishnavism are vital for the resurgence and sustenance of the culture, tradition and practices associated with the country, the Madras High Court has said.
Justices R. Mahadevan and P.D. Audikesavalu wrote: “Hinduism, as coined by the British and known today, is an assortment of different cults with polytheistic concept. Ancient scripts reveal that Buddhism and Jainism are also offshoots of Hinduism, with several common history and legendary stories.”
The classification of six cults, as it was known then as Shanmadham, was founded by Adi Sankara and it comprised Saivam (Lord Shiva), Vaishnavam (Lord Vishnu), Shaaktham (Goddess Sakthi), Gaanaapathyam (Lord Ganesha), Kaumaram (Lord Skanda or Kumara) and Souryam (Sun as God), they said. “The polytheistic concept imbibes the democratic and secular principles as they are called today,” the Bench said. It pointed out that there were more than 46,000 temples in Tamil Nadu and of them, 40,156 were under the control of the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department.
