The Saiva Acaryas of the Mattamayura Clan
By V. V. Mirashi
Summary
The article reconstructs the history of the Mattamayūra branch of Śaivism using epigraphic, genealogical and literary evidence. It begins by noting that Prof. R. D. Banerji first drew attention to the sect in his memoir on the Haibhayas of Tripuri, but subsequent discoveries of inscriptions have filled many gaps. An early Ranod inscription (c. 10th century) and another record in the Gwalior Museum provide a spiritual genealogy that traces teachers from Kadambaguhādhivāsin through Saṅkhamaṭhikādhipati and Terambipāla to Amardakatīrthanātha (also called Rudraśiva) and his disciple Purandara, who established maṭhas at Mattamayūra and Rāṇod. Later inscriptions from Bilhari, Chandrehe and Gurgi show how disciples such as Śikhaśiva/Śāḍaśiva, Prabhāvaśiva and Prabhodhasiva were invited to the Cedi court by the Kalacuri kings Yuvarājadeva I, Nohalā and Lakṣmaṇarāja, indicating the clan’s spread from Mālwa into the Cedi kingdom. The article compares these records to reconstruct parallel lines of teachers and dates Purandara/Mattamayūranātha to about A.D. 825, linking him to the Caulukya dynasty of Avantivarman and his successors. It also lists kings of this dynasty (Avantivarman, Sādhanvan, Siddhavarman, Narasiṃha and Keśarin) and suggests that the later Caulukyas of Gujarat may have been related. Several Mattamayūra ācāryas are credited with scholarly works—Vyomaśiva composed the Vyomavatī commentary on the Vaiśeṣika Bhāṣya, while Somaśambhu wrote the Somaśambhu‑paddhati summarising Śaiva Āgamas. Branches of the clan founded monasteries in places like Bherāghāṭa near Tripurī and maintained the famous sixty‑four yoginī temple there. By collating inscriptions, the article shows that Mattamayūra became a significant centre of Śaivism whose pontiffs served as royal preceptors in Central India, and it emphasises the need for further research to identify Mattamayūra itself and to understand the clan’s influence on later Śaiva developments.
Conclusion
Drawing on a wide range of inscriptions, this study clarifies the spiritual genealogy of the Mattamayūra Śaiva clan and situates its teachers within the political landscape of tenth‑ to eleventh‑century Central India. Purandara’s move from Mālwa to establish maṭhas at Mattamayūra and Rāṇod, and the invitation of his successors to the Cedi court, show how the sect spread through royal patronage. By comparing different genealogical lists, the author proposes a coherent chronology and highlights links with the Caulukya dynasty. The article concludes that Mattamayūra was a major centre of learning whose leaders produced important texts and served as rajagurus, although the site itself remains to be securely identified.