Garuda-Past and Present: A Bird’s Eye View of South Indian Traditions

This book seeks to examine the place of Garuda, a celestial bird of great significance and enormous importance in Hindu mythology and art, in South Asian traditions. Tracing the evolution of Garuda as perceived through literary sources, both Sanskrit and Tamil, it projects him as noticed from the temple conventions in the South, with special focus on his place in the main temple, his iconography, and his role during festivals in Vishnu temples in South India.

Further it portrays his age-old animosity to Nagas, the reconciliatory approach that is adopted, and assimilation of these two warring elements in the vrata observance. Finally it finds out the manner in which the two Periyatiruvati and Ciriyatirvati came to occupy the positions, which they do in the Srivaisnava theology.