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Medieval Religious Movements as seen in South Indian Inscriptions

Research Project

Project/Area Number 21320137
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field Asian history
Research InstitutionThe Toyo Bunko

Principal Investigator

KARASHIMA Noboru  財団法人東洋文庫, 研究部, 研究員 (10014466)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) OTA Nobuhiro  東京外国語大学, アジア・アフリカ言語文化研究所, 准教授 (40345319)
Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha) TOKUNAGA Muneo  京都大学, 文学部, 名誉教授 (70143998)
Research Collaborator HERMANN Kulke  Kiel University, Professor Emeritus
SUBBARAYALU Y.  Tamil University, Professor(Rtd)
SHANMUGAM P.  Madras University, Professor(Rtd)
Project Period (FY) 2009 – 2011
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2011)
Budget Amount *help
¥12,480,000 (Direct Cost: ¥9,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,880,000)
Fiscal Year 2011: ¥3,640,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥840,000)
Fiscal Year 2010: ¥3,510,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥810,000)
Fiscal Year 2009: ¥5,330,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,230,000)
Keywords南アジア / ヒンドゥー教 / 刻文 / 中世社会史 / マタ(僧院) / 社会変化 / 南アジア史 / 社会史 / 中世 / 文化相互作用 / ヒンドウー教 / 国際協力
Research Abstract

Not much was known about the religious movement carried out in South India during the period from the 10^<th> to 14^<th> centuries. In order to clarify this religious movement, we have collected the Tamil inscriptions of that period referring to mathas(monasteries) and examined the activities of those mathas.
Our examination has revealed that in the 10^<th> and 11^<th> centuries the mathaactivities were led by Brahmanas, who had come from the North, supported by the Chola royal family and people of the upper social sections. Contrary to that, the masses began to join the matha activities in the 12^<th> and 13^<th> centuries, and consequently the traditional religious notions held dear by them gave influence on its activities, causing finally the establishment of a new religious school called Saiva Siddhanta.
The fact that chronological distribution of the inscriptions referring to mathas shows the concentration in the 12^<th> and 13^<th> centuries, together with our examination of the social groups, which joined the matha activities in those centuries, clearly shows that this religious movement carried out through mathas was closely related to the social change which caused the power increase in the lower social sections during the period from the 12^<th> to 14^<th> centuries.
We have published these new findings in the two articles published in an internationally well-known research journal. We have also discussed the issue in the seminars joined by foreign specialists to impart our findings among scholars in the world.

Report

(4 results)
  • 2011 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2010 Annual Research Report
  • 2009 Annual Research Report
  • Research Products

    (13 results)

All 2011 2010 2009

All Journal Article (6 results) (of which Peer Reviewed: 4 results) Presentation (6 results) Book (1 results)

  • [Journal Article] Mathas and Medieval Religious Movements in Tamil Nadu : An Epigraphical Study(PartII)2011

    • Author(s)
      Karashima Noboru, Y. Subbarayalu and P. Shanmugam
    • Journal Title

      Indian Historical Review

      Volume: Vol.38, No.2 Pages: 199-210

    • Related Report
      2011 Final Research Report
  • [Journal Article] Mathas and Medieval Religious Movements in Tamil Nadu : An Epigraphical Study (Part II)2011

    • Author(s)
      Karashima Noboru, Y.Subbarayalu, P.Shanmugatn
    • Journal Title

      Indian Historical Review

      Volume: Vol.38, No.2 Issue: 2 Pages: 199-210

    • DOI

      10.1177/037698361103800202

    • Related Report
      2011 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Mathas and MedievalReligious Movements in Tamil Nadu : An Epigraphical Study2010

    • Author(s)
      Karashima Noboru, Y. Subbarayalu and P. Shanmugam
    • Journal Title

      Indian Historical Review

      Volume: Vol.37, No.2 Pages: 217-34

    • Related Report
      2011 Final Research Report
  • [Journal Article] Mathas and Medieval Religious Movements in Tamil Nadu : An Epigraphical Study2010

    • Author(s)
      Karashima Noboru, Y.Subbarayalu, P.Shanmugam
    • Journal Title

      Indian Historical Review

      Volume: Vol.37, No.2 Pages: 217-234

    • Related Report
      2010 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Medieval Commercial Activities in the Indian Ocean as Revealed from Chinese Ceramic-sherds and South Indian and Sri Lankan Inscriptions2009

    • Author(s)
      Noboru Karashima
    • Journal Title

      Nagapattinam to Suvarnadwipa,(ed.Kulke, et al.)(Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore)

      Pages: 20-60

    • Related Report
      2009 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] South Indian Merchant Guilds in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia2009

    • Author(s)
      Noboru Karashima
    • Journal Title

      Nagapattinam to Suvarnadwipa,(ed.Kulke, et al.)(Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore)

      Pages: 135-157

    • Related Report
      2009 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Presentation] The Importance of Indian Epigraphy : The Emergence of Medieval South Indian Society as Revealed by the Change in Imprecations in Tamil Inscriptions2010

    • Author(s)
      Karashima Noboru
    • Organizer
      The Nalanda-Srivijaya Lecture Series
    • Place of Presentation
      Nalanda-Srivijaya Centre, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore
    • Year and Date
      2010-12-02
    • Related Report
      2011 Final Research Report
  • [Presentation] The Importance of Indian Epigraphy : The Emergence of Medieval South Indian Societyas Revealed by the Change in Imprecations in Tamil Inscriptions2010

    • Author(s)
      Karashima Noboru
    • Organizer
      The Nalanda-Srivijaya Lecture Series
    • Place of Presentation
      Nalanda-Srivijaya Centre, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore
    • Year and Date
      2010-12-02
    • Related Report
      2010 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Who Built 'the City of Victory'? Representation of a 'Hindu' capital in a 'Islamicate' world2010

    • Author(s)
      Ota Nobuhiro
    • Organizer
      The City in South Asia
    • Place of Presentation
      The National Museum of Ethnolgoy, Osaka
    • Year and Date
      2010-07-18
    • Related Report
      2011 Final Research Report
  • [Presentation] Who Built the City of Victory representation of a 'Hindu' capital in an Islamicate world2010

    • Author(s)
      Ota Nobuhiro
    • Organizer
      The Centre for Contemporary India Area Studies at the National Museum of Ethnology International Conference : The City in South Asia
    • Place of Presentation
      The National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka
    • Year and Date
      2010-07-18
    • Related Report
      2010 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] 歴史的観点から見た国家と社会2009

    • Author(s)
      太田信宏
    • Organizer
      人間文化研究機構プログラム「現代インド地域研究」2009年度全体集会
    • Place of Presentation
      京都大学東南アジア研究所稲盛財団記念館
    • Year and Date
      2009-12-06
    • Related Report
      2009 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Emergence of Medieval Society in South India as Revealed from the Change in Imprecations in Tamil Inscription2009

    • Author(s)
      Noboru Karashima
    • Organizer
      Special Meeting at South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg
    • Place of Presentation
      University of Heidelberg, Germany
    • Year and Date
      2009-09-22
    • Related Report
      2009 Annual Research Report
  • [Book] Ancient to Medieval : South Indian Society in Transition2009

    • Author(s)
      Noboru Karashima
    • Publisher
      Oxford University Press, New Delhi
    • Related Report
      2009 Annual Research Report

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Published: 2009-04-01   Modified: 2016-04-21  

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