Ishwa helper Reged: 03/03/02 Posts: 553

Re: Role of South India in Hinduism.... [Re: venky] #19597 - 09/03/02 03:45 AM Edit Reply Quote

Shankara's date of around 500 BC is based on different traditional schools of Shankaras followers. They have an unbroken line of "patriarchs" with dates. Another point would be that Shankara was a contemporary of one of the Andhran emperors, possibly of Gautamiputra, who had defeated Nahapana or Vasishthiputra Shatakarni II. The Nasik area, which was till then predominantly Jaina, became Brahmanic again. The archaeological problem has to meet the textual and traditional problem. That is something for which more research has to be done. If there's unanimity in all the sources, then it's even better. But all the so-called 'evidence' in the standard books should be re-examined again and again(which is the base of academic research). Only too often the outdated or spurious data are still being retained. Pushing back history should be done, based on different data. The Guptan-Mauryan date problem is huge. Many events and accounts contradict the Guptas to having been in the AD's, including Persian, Roman and Chinese ones. The prevalent Guptan date is based on very loose and shaky grounds. Even the regnal beginning of the Guptas is vague.