Tumuli Stones, Sacred Geography, and Meditation Halls for Mantra

At the turn of the 19th century in Tamil Nadu, a convergence of several factors—patronage of burial mounds (tumuli, or jīva-camāti), belief in a sacred geography, the establishment of meditation halls (maṭālayams), and the practice of mantra within those halls—enabled a pan-sectarian Tamil consensus on yoga, as expressed in the writings of Sri Sabhapati Swami. The article analyzes how tumuli figured in the lineages of Sabhapati's gurus and his own students, and shows how this phenomenon connected to the mythology of Agastya and the Tamil Siddhas through another guru line. The intersections between tumuli, yoga, and mantra merit further study because they attracted emotional investment and patronage across society.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This article examines how the patronage of tumuli, belief in sacred geography, the institution of meditation halls, and the practice of mantra at these halls converged in Tamil Nadu at the turn of the 19th century to facilitate a pan-sectarian Tamil “consensus” on yoga in the literature of Sri Sabhapati Swami (Capāpati Cuvāmikaḷ, b. 1828). The article begins by analyzing the phenomenon of tumuli (Tamil jīva-camāti) among Sabhapati’s gurus in the line of Kumara Devar (Kumāratēvar), as well as his own students. It then shows how such a phenomenon was intertwined with the mythology of Agastya and the Tamil Siddhas via Sabhapati’s other guru line. Consideration is also given to the role of mantra in these tumuli and their accompanying “Meditation Halls” (maṭālayams). The article concludes by claiming that intersections between tumuli sites, yoga, and mantra warrant more attention given their ability to attract emotional investment and financial patronage from various levels of society.