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330 sects and religions, Nammalvar only casually mentions in one place the Jains and Buddhists, besides Brahma and Siva as only other manifestations of Vishnu. A comparison of the following quotations froin Nammalvar's works with those cited in the previous sections will clearly prove that Jainisin and Buddhism had already died out in the Tamil country and that Saivas and Vaishnavas had come to regard each other as brethern :


 * (1) இலிங்கத்திட்ட புராணத்தீரும் சமணரும் சாக்கியரும் வலிந்து வாது செய்வீர்களும் மற்றும் நுந் தெய்வமு மாகி நின்றான் ; (2) கடிகமழ் கொன்றைச் சடையனே யென்னும் நான்முகக் கட வுளே யென்னும், வடிவுடை வானோர் தலைவனேயென்னும் வண் திரு வரங்கனேயென்னும் ; (3) அங்குயர் முக்கட்பிரான் பிரமபெருமானவன் நீ ; (4) மாசத்திளமதியஞ் சேருஞ் சடை யானைப், பாகத்து வைத் தான் தன் பாதம் பணிந்தேனே.

(5) it has been said before that Tirumangai Alvar visited all the Vaishnava temples of his time. Those shrines that are not sung by hiin are celebrated by Nammalvar, the most important of which being (a) Tirukkurugur, (b) Varaguna Mangai and (c) Sri varamangalam. If the traditional story of the orthodos Vaishnavas that Tirumangai Alvar inade arrangements for the recital of Tiruvoyinolı at Srirangam be true, he inust surely have visited the birth-place of a great Saint honoured and worshipped by him, and sung hymns in praise of the god of that village. But we see nothing of this in his work. Again, Varaguna Mangai or Varaguna Mangalam is a village named after the Pandya king Varaguna. So far as



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