01-19-2006, 04:25 AM
One thing to consider is that from ~ 200BC to 800AD the South was mainly Buddhist and Jain. It was the perseverance of the Alwars that revived the Sanathan Dharma and that survived the onslaught of Islam and Missionaries. The resistance to mainstream Hinduism could be due to this 'recent' non Hindu memory? And this was exploited by the others?

