A Study in Conflict and Accommodation

Tyagaraja is a Somaskanda and the first visual representation of this composite deity can be traced to the time of pallava rule. The concept of Somaskanda is unique to Tamilnadu. The Cola monarchs were devotees of Tyagaraja. The book analyses the Tyagaraja Cult from three perspectives: as a religious synthesiser, socio-cultural integrator and legitimiser of the ideologies of the State.