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Sivaismus im Wandel
Der tamilische Saiva Siddhanta seit dem 19. Jahrhundert
The starting point of this study on the philosophical tradition of Saiva Siddhanta is an ethnographic-philological analysis of its Tamil manifestations and the teachings of its most influential exponents at the beginning of the 21st century. The study is centered around the most significant monastic-orthodox institution of Tamil Saiva Siddhanta, the Thiruvavaduthurai Adhinam. Since opening up to laypeople in the 1990s, this institution has been disseminating philosophical teachings through its own popular organization, significantly shaping South Indian debates.
This study traces the contemporary understanding of Tamil Saiva philosophy historically back to the mid-19th century. It becomes evident that around 1900, the conception of Saiva Siddhanta underwent profound transformations, leading to influential terminologies that persist to this day. The study thus demonstrates that Tamil Saiva Siddhanta, with its philosophical foundations and literary canon, is the result of a history of global entanglements—shaped collectively by Tamil scholars, Saiva reformers, Christian missionaries, and European Orientalists.
