“rebels” were the Vı ̄ras ́aivas, found in the hills of Karnataka and Andhra
Pradesh. While probably rooted in forms of “folk” religion and trading
communities, they were apparently tutored by sma ̄rtabrahmans, so that by
the tenth century they had become a discernible movement. The movement
was led by poets – singers who critiqued temples as the domain of the rich,
and brahmans for their hypocrisy and corruption. For the Vı ̄ras ́aivas, S ́iva
was found in natural settings and could be embodied in small lin ̇ gas(aniconic
representations of S ́iva) worn around the neck.^14
Deities as reflections of cultural history
The religious-cultural history of South India (and for that matter, other parts
of India) were often reflected in myths about the deities. In fact, a number
of deities were coming into being or rising in popularity in various parts of
India during this period. One who attained popularity throughout India
(and not only in the south) was Ganes.a, the elephant-headed “elder” son of
S ́iva. Ganes.a came to represent the embodiment of “wisdom” and was wor-
shiped as one who blessed “new beginnings,” but his roots were probably
to be found in a variety of pre-Hindu sources. These probably included the
ways the elephant was honored in different settings, for example, as a totemic
object in tribal or forested areas and as a symbol of royalty (for it was used
100 The Post-classical Period
Figure 4Gopura at Srisailam: closer view. Photograph by Rob F. Phillips.