Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism

Mahäbhärata and the Rämäyaæa and

entered into polemics with Western

Indologists on several issues. He trans-

lated the Bhagavadgïtä for the Sacred

Books of the East (1880).

temples (maæõira)

While the Vedas do not mention tem-

ples (yajñas(sacrifices) were performed

on temporarily established sites) these

have been a hallmark of Hinduism since

the fifth century CE. Hindu temples are

not primarily places of meeting for a

congregation to worship as community,

but palaces for the god who is present in

an IMAGE (mürti) and who is wor-

shipped individually by an appointed

priest. In the course of centuries Hindus

have developed a great variety of archi-

tectural styles for temples, the chief ones

being the nägara or North Indian, and

the dräviõa, or South Indian styles. All

details of temple construction are laid

down in the texts on västuÿästra. A vil-

lage or a town was not deemed com-

plete and habitable unless it had a

temple. Some of the major temples are

veritable temple cities and attract mil-

lions of worshippers every year. The

major temples have Sthäla Puräæas

which record their histories and major

events that took place at the site. To

have a temple built has been a time-

honoured activity among Hindus, still

much in evidence in modern India and

also among Hindus in the diaspora. (See

alsoARCHITECTURE.)

Teögalai

Southern school of ŸRÏVAIÆŒAVISM, giv-

ing equal weight to Sanskrit and Tamil

scriptures (Ubhäya Vedänta) with its

seat in Ÿrïraægam. It is also known as

the cat school, because it believes that

God’s grace saves without human

effort, as a cat carries its kitten from fire

without the kitten’s active co-operation

(märjaranyäya). The Teögalais were

also more tolerant with regard to CASTE

affiliation of teachers. (See alsoPILLAI

LOKÄCÄRYA.)

Thibaut, Georg (1848–1914)

Prominent German Indologist. After

studying Indology in Heidelberg and

Berlin, concentrating on Vedic studies,

he became assistant to Max MÜLLERin

Oxford in editing the Øgveda. In 1875

he moved to India, first as Anglo-

Sanskrit professor and principal at the

Benares Hindu College, then as profes-

sor and principal of Muir Central

College. His work on Indian mathemat-

ics and astronomy was pathbreaking.

He was co-editor of the Benares

Sanskrit Series and translated a number

of important works into English, e.g.

ŸA¢KARA’s (2) and RÄMÄNUJA’s commen-

taries on the Brahmasütras, which

appeared in the Sacred Books of the East.

Tilak, Bal Gangadhar

(1856–1920)

Poona-based lawyer, revolutionary,

educator, founder of Fergusson College,

editor of newspapers and author of sev-

eral important, if controversial works:

Orion or Researches into the Antiquity

of the Vedas(1893), and The Arctic

Home in the Vedas(1903), in which he

postulated prehistoric origins of the

Vedas. He wrote a Mahratti commen-

tary on the Bhagavadgïtä, Gïtä Rahasya

(1915), subtitled The Gïtä as a Gospel

of Action, which became very popular.

Forbidden by the British authorities to

organize political mass rallies, he used

the local GAŒEŸAfestival as an occasion

for huge protest demonstrations. Since

then GAŒEŸACATÜRTHIhas become a

major religious festival in Mahärä•flra.

time

Most Hindu systems distinguish

between divisible and indivisible time:

the first is identified with empirical time

183 time

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