Sastha finds some mention in purnams. The half-brother of Skanda the Veeramahakala who protected Indrani under the orders of his brother, as described in Skanda purnam is supposed to be the manifestation of Shasta. In the form of Sastha, the deity has two wives too the names vary in some cases. They actually ascribe the influence of Buddhism based on the calls for sharanam, celibacy and such aspects. The Ayyappa legend receives no mention in any major purnams of antiquity. At some stage, the Sastha and Ayyappa lore appear to have gelled together.
The traditions of the temple have happened mostly through local lore. Therefore, it is very difficult to say anything for sure. The Poojas in the tantric style appear were adopted by the main priests who happened to be the Brahmins who officiated in many other shrines or were trained by other tantris who followed the standard tantra procedures.
No comments:
Post a Comment