During the reign of the great emperor Ashoka of the Magadha Empire (reign: 268–232 BCE),
During the reign of the great emperor Ashoka of the Magadha Empire (reign: 268–232 BCE),
During the reign of the great emperor Ashoka of the Magadha Empire (reign: 268–232 BCE), although there were many religions and schools of thought such as Jainism, Charvaka, Ennaiyam (Sankhya), Buddhism, and Ajivika, there was no image worship in any of these traditions. Instead, worship of sacred footprints was prevalent.
A place famous for such footprint worship was Sivanolipatha Malai (Sri Pada). It is said that a ruler named Tamaraja, the eldest of the ten sons of King Kamani Abhaya, an ancient Pandyan ruler of Eelam, created it using a stone bearing the lotus-like footprints of the Ajivika ascetic Puranar, who was regarded as having attained the exalted state of Kassapa Buddha.
From that time onward, this place of worship continued to be under the authority of the Kingdom of Jaffna, even during the period of the historical writer Ibn Battuta, who also reported this.
Not only that, but even today the people of the region know that many similar sacred footprints exist in numerous Ayyanar temples throughout the vast Vanni region. However, without knowing that these are the origins of Ayyanar worship and symbols of antiquity, people can be seen using these highly sacred footprints as mere stones on which they casually burn camphor in the outer streets.
Such footprint worship found in Eelam predates the historical introduction of Buddhism here. These Ajivika symbols are today presented by many people as Buddhist symbols. However, many do not know that they are actually associated with Ajivika.
It was only after this tradition of footprint worship that image worship subsequently emerged. Thus, the footprint worship that existed before the appearance of images has now been reduced to stones that people worship today. The images and temples that later emerged developed following this tradition of footprint worship.
As far as ancient Tamilakam is concerned, this was Ayyanar worship. Moreover, when Buddhism itself in Eelam explicitly identifies it as Kassapa Buddha, or Purna Kashyapa, what doubt can there be?
Furthermore, one of his teeth is said to be worshipped today at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy. This tooth was in Anuradhapura in the 10th century CE when Rajaraja Chola invaded Eelam during the reign of the Sinhalese king Mahinda. Later, during the period of the Kandyan Nayak kings, it was transferred to Kandy, to the place where the present Temple of the Tooth stands and which had previously been a Kannakai Amman temple.
Before that, this place had functioned as a temple where a ritual festival was conducted as an offering for Kannakai Amman. That festival later became the Buddhist festival known today as the Perahera.
Many people say that this event began during British rule, when Namachivaya Mudaliar—the father-in-law of the wife of Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam, who was the brother of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan—served as a Mudaliar in the Kandy court.
Over time, all the religions that preached a path of virtue, including Jainism and Buddhism, claimed these traditions as their own. Eventually, Vedic religion appropriated and absorbed them and transformed the footprint into the footprint of Rama.
The footprint of that ancient period, when there was neither a personal god nor image worship, was eventually accepted as the footprint of the god Krishna, and myths were constructed to support that interpretation. The practice of placing the footprint of the child Krishna inside the home is a fabricated form of worship taught by Vedic tradition.
Distorted versions of history continue to be imposed upon us. Having accepted a life of ignorance and imitation, Tamil society is now following the path of Sanatana Dharma taught by Vedic tradition—building temples everywhere, conducting festivals, and pulling temple chariots.
The ancient Tamil people, who no longer know the worship practices of their ancestors, are even declaring that these traditions do not belong to us. In doing so, they are handing over their own history and antiquity to others and standing today having lost their history.
Translation by Hari
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