Dr. N. Venkataramanayya Commemoration Volume- Vol. XXXVIII- Part II (An Old and Rare Book)

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Foreword I am happy to bring out Part-II of Dr. N. Venkataramanayya Commemoration Volume. The present part is a prestigious bunch of fine articles by eminent scholars in the fields of history and archaeology from all over India. The very first article of this part by Dr. N. Venkataramanayya entitled "Rudra Siva" was published by the Madras University some 45 years ago. With their kind permission, we have reprinted the same as a floral tribute to the departed great soul. I owe my debt of gratitude to the Registrar of Madras University for kind permission to include "Rudra Siva" originally printed in 1941.

Introduction The belief that the God Siva, worshipped at present by the bulk of the Hindu population, is a deity of heterogeneous origin, who came into existence comparatively late as a consequence of the contact of the faith of immigrant Aryans with that of the indigenous population of the country, particularly the Dravidians, is commonly held by all writers on Hindu religious history. It is stated that the Vedic God Rudra assimilated several indigenous cults, and, having gradually undergone a change in the process of assimilation, was transformed into a semi-demoniacal deity, known generally by the name of Siva. The process of this evolution is clearly described by Frazer in his exposition of Saivism in the Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics.