[Assam] In Assam did Sankardeva REINFORCE (instead of removing) the caste system introduced by the arrival of the Aryans, as “Respect for caste hierarchy and its rules .. had been the essential feature of Vaishnavism” supported by Gita(Ch1 v40 & 18 v41-44)?

[Bartta Bistar]

*`Rama cult arose in the South' *

http://www.thehindu.com/2007/03/12/stories/2007031203811300.htm

Special Correspondent

*Historian traces the origins of the cult to the Vaishnavite saints, Alwars
*

FEROKE (KOZHIKODE): Historical evidences are aplenty to show that the Rama
cult took birth and evolved in the south, the `Dravida' country, and later
got assimilated into the religious psyche of the North, says Suvira Jaiswal,
historian. There are also inscriptional evidences to dismiss the attempt to
link the rise of the cult of Rama to `Muslim' invasion of India in the
12th-13th centuries, she says.

In her S. C. Misra Memorial Lecture titled `The Making of a Hegemonic
Tradition: The Cult of Rama Dasarathi' delivered at the ongoing 67th Session
of the Indian History Congress, Professor Jaiswal said that it was possible
to trace the gradual emergence of a full-fledged Rama cult in the Dravida
country. The Vaishnavite saints of the south, Alwars sang in praise of the
local cult-spots as sanctified by the presence of their favourite deities.
This gave scope for the identification of various places as scenes of events
associated with the characters of Ramayana and celebration of the existing
temples as that of Rama.

Clear evidence of the setting up of shrines for the Rama incarnation of
Vishnu was available from the 10th century onwards in the Chola and Pandya
kingdoms, which had been the locale of Alwar activities, she said.

Sacred Ayodhya

Interestingly, the Rama temples were called `sacred Ayodhya,' lending
credence to the view that the concept of Ayodhya of Rama was originally
mythical, having little to do with modern Ayodhya . ``It reminds one of the
famous saying Tulasidas, *Avadhu tahaan jahaan Raama nivaasu*, meaning
``wherever Rama resides, that is Ayodhya.''

Worshippers of Siva

Although the Chola kings were worshippers of Siva and constructed
magnificent Siva temples, several of them assumed titles suggestive of their
identification with Rama. For instance, Aditya Chola (AD 871-907), who
claimed to have built several Siva temples on the banks of the Cauvery,
assumed the title `Kodandarama.' His son Paranthaka I called himself
Samgraama Raghavam, i.e; Rama in battle.

The devise of using religious myths and symbols for the glorification of
contemporary rulers had a long history in the brahminical tradition and was
not exclusive to Ramology.

A thorough weaving of the brahminical philosophy and social ethics into the
story of Rama was to be found in the Adhyatma Ramayana, a work assigned to
the 14th or early 15th century.

Social message

Professor Jaiswal said a close connection of the Rama cult with the
brahminical social order and its implications were often underplayed by
stressing upon its so-called liberating potential, as it opened the path of
`bhakti' to all irrespective of caste and gender.

But the entire range of religious literature on Rama-bhakti in the `saguna'
stream has a very clear social message: God is universally accessible and
grants salvation to all those who worship him with devotion, but he does not
allow any violation of caste rules and disrespect to brahmans, regardless of
their qualifications.

Respect for caste hierarchy and its rules despite the irrelevance of caste
status in the pursuit of liberation had been the essential feature of
Vaishnavism from its first exposition in the Bhagavad Gita, Professor
Jaiswal said.
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