Asiatic Quarterly Review (Full Title: The Imperial and Asiatic Quarterly Review, and Oriental and Colonial Record): Volume XIII, No. 26 [‎496v] (117/238)

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The Age of Mdnikka Vdfagar.
There are, however, inferences to be drawn from the
silence of writers as to the hymns of Manikka Va9agar.
He w T as no obscure person, and, according to general
belief, his hymns have enjoyed an extraordinary popularity
for centuries, being mingled with the daily worship in
every Siva temple throughout the Tamil country. This
being so, we might confidently expect to find some mention
or allusion to them in literary works of a subsequent date,
when occasion arose to refer to such writings.
Now, about 600 to 640 a.d. the collection of hymns that
goes by the name of Devdram was compiled by the three
saintly persons already referred to, but neither do the
hymns nor the other writings of the compilers contain any
reference to Manikka Vacagar.
In the Saiva Bible of the Tamils — a collection of
sacred books upon the Saiva religion compiled by Nambi
Andar Nambi in the time of Rdja Raja King Deva, about
984 a.d. —out of twelve sets of poems included, Jnana
Sambandhar’s works have the first three places, then Appar
has the next three, Sundara Miirti Nayanar the seventh,
and Manikka V^agar the eighth place. Thus, the three
compilers of the Devaram have the prior position. Gan-
daraditya Ch 61 a, a King who was in being before 940, and
succeeded his brother RdjcLditya Chola in 949, is given the
ninth place, and Yogi Tirumular the tenth. The eleventh
place is occupied by miscellaneous compositions, and the
twelfth by the Periya Puranam of Sekkilar. Those who
contend for the priority of Mdnikka Va^agar to Jnana
Sambandhar of the seventh century suggest that the
Devaram is only an incomplete collection, and account for
the omission of all mention of Manikka on this ground.*
This reason, however, when we consider the eminent
position of Manikka Va^agar’s writings in the hymnology
of the country, seems hardly satisfactory.
In regard to Mdnikka Vacagar’s position of eighth in the
Saiva Tamil Bible collection, those who are in favour of his
* Tirumalai Kolundu, p. 24 .