There has been a furore in Tamil Nadu over the identity of Chozha kings saying that they were not Hindus.
It all began with film director Vetrimaaran’s comments on Rajaraja Chozhan “being appropriated as a Hindu”.
After he faced brickbats, Naam Tamilar Katchi Seeman, VCK head Thol. Thirumavalavan and other Dravidian Stockists came to his support.
Adding fuel to this fire, full-time actor and part-time politician Kamal Haasan said that there was no religion called Hinduism during the Chozha era.
Now, senior DMK leader TKS Elangovan has joined the bogey to delink Chozhas from Hindu faith.
The DMK leader said that the Chozhas are not Hindu kings and added that both Shaivism and Vaishnavism have been clubbed together and called Hindus.
“They were two different religions at that time. Vaishnavism and Saivism were two different religions. Each hated the other religion. We can see what had happened with Hiranyan and his son (Prahlada).”, he said adding that Lord Vishnu took Narasimha Avatar to kill Hiranyan a Saivite.
“Because his son followed Vaishnavism, there were fighting. So, Vishnu chose to kill Hiranyan. So, that was the stage at that time. There are two different philosphies.”, he said.
He also went on to say that Shaivas preached ‘Advaita’ and Vaishnavites preached ‘Vishishtadvaita’.
He stressed that he Rajaraja Chozha was a Saivite king and built only Saivite temples.
DMK neta wades into chola king controversy | Here's what the DMK leader said @nabilajamal_ #ITVideo pic.twitter.com/nitj8OKT7P
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) October 6, 2022
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