Two Tātācāryas at the Court of Virūpākṣa II - A socio-historical study of Anantārya's Prapannāmṛtam 123 - 125

This study offers a socio-historical analysis of three selected chapters of the Prapannāmṛtam, a hagiography composed by Anantārya most probably in the 17th century. The aim of the present research is that of showing how the socio-political and religious affiliation of the author can be identified as the main force which led to the composition of chapters 123-125, here under analysis. Anantārya is a proud member of the decayed Tātācāryas, a family of raja-gurus which had dominated the political and religious scene of Vijayanagara between the 14th and 16th century: Prapannāmṛtam 123-125 might, in this sense, be read as a praśasti (eulogy) of the glorious past of the family, expressed through the celebration of the miraculous events narrated in chapters 123-125. The political and religious strength of the family is put forth, in the narration, by the acts of two Tātācārya teachers, Nṛsiṃhārya and his younger brother: it is thanks to their actions that, in chapter 125, the religious...Show moreThis study offers a socio-historical analysis of three selected chapters of the Prapannāmṛtam, a hagiography composed by Anantārya most probably in the 17th century. The aim of the present research is that of showing how the socio-political and religious affiliation of the author can be identified as the main force which led to the composition of chapters 123-125, here under analysis. Anantārya is a proud member of the decayed Tātācāryas, a family of raja-gurus which had dominated the political and religious scene of Vijayanagara between the 14th and 16th century: Prapannāmṛtam 123-125 might, in this sense, be read as a praśasti (eulogy) of the glorious past of the family, expressed through the celebration of the miraculous events narrated in chapters 123-125. The political and religious strength of the family is put forth, in the narration, by the acts of two Tātācārya teachers, Nṛsiṃhārya and his younger brother: it is thanks to their actions that, in chapter 125, the religious conversion of king Virūpākṣa II and its subjects from Śaivism to Vaiṣṇavism takes place. Moreover, through the analysis of an alleged ‘a-historical’ hagiographic text, I introduced the issue of how, in the Indological context, the concepts of ‘history’ and ‘historiography’ should be revised in light of new, more fruitful, theories (e.g. Bloch 1949, Bulke 2001 and Corrao & Viola 2005).Show less

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Two Tātācāryas at the Court of Virūpākṣa II - A socio-historical study of Anantārya's Prapannāmṛtam 123 - 125