Chapters (15)
- Who are the Padmasaliyar?
- Bhavana Rishi and the Padmasaliyar tradition
- The puranic tradition of origin
- Lotus, Padma and the weaving tradition
- Ancient homeland and migration
- Andhra, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
- The weaving trade and contribution to society
- Padmasaliyar in the age of kings
- Temples, religion and culture
- Social structure, gotras and divisions
- The tradition of the curse — a separate section
- The colonial period and its records
- Padmasaliyar in modern times
- The community around the world
- Conclusion
Temples, religion and culture
In Padmasaliyar life, religion, temple and weaving cannot be separated. Cloth woven on the loom becomes a garment for the deity; a family carries a gotra and a family deity. Here we show separately what is clear from the records and what is yet to be collected.
- Purana
- Living community tradition
- Written evidence
- Yet to be verified / collected
Two religious traditions
As seen in Chapter 2, the Padmasaliyar community has two traditions, Vaishnava and Shaiva. The two explain the origin of the name a little differently. The Vaishnava tradition centres on the lotus of Vishnu’s navel; the Shaiva tradition centres on the sacrifice performed by Markandeya at the command of Lord Shiva.
The deities worshipped
The Bhavanarayana temples
Some community accounts say that Bhavana Rishi also bears the name “Bhavanarayana”. There are famous temples in Andhra in the name of Bhavanarayana.
Brahmin customs
Temple and weaving
Gotra, family deity, family rites
At a glance
| Statement | Category |
|---|---|
| Two traditions, Vaishnava and Shaiva | Kulapurana tradition |
| Worship of Markandeshwara, Venkateshwara, Padmavati | Living tradition (source needed) |
| Bhavanarayana temples (Bapatla, Sarpavaram) | The temples are real; a link with the Padmasaliyar is not confirmed |
| Sacred thread, Brahminical rites | Written record |
| Silk adornment for temple deities | Written evidence |
| Family deity, gotra rites | Yet to be collected |
Next chapter
10. Social structure, gotras and divisions — the 101 gotras, the eight divisions, marriage rules, community associations.
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