THANJAVUR TiSlrflteS NtTStCAND DANCE 41 to be paid by the cultivating tenants to the Brah^rins, Vellato, sabhas^ and nagarams. Making use of this deliberate omissidn they Ideological Offensive: Violent Suppression These revolts were suppressed by an ideological offensive and by violent methods. But all that does not concern us in this enquiry. As all the land belonged to God, the peasants were taught by religious pr^s^he^rs that they were* working for Siva. If they suffered material' dfecorifoNs owing to deterioration of economic condMwfs^ tfc^y ^ere consoled I^f the promise ofKailas in the next liirth— because In tl& 3^ir(h t^y w^r^^flfcr*-ing for the glory of Siva. They were exhorted for work ift jrfie fields and to expect no reWard but Siva^ grace. Any one who protested t»r grumbled about his bad economic condition was Swadraki (traitor tb Siva) ahd^drew upon himself the punishment of God gnd the emperor. The God could throw him into hell, in any case the emperor did throw him into priso^. There was a flood of propaganda of religious piety disseminated by Brahmins and Saivite monasteries. The structure of society contained several aspects of coHtratfi^tettS. Temple X Feudal landlords ^ Temple X Wot|phg pw&xury Temple ^ U^iidii^nt WtiNk%» Feudal classes X Working people Feudal classes X MarclwiKlass and peasantry l Merchant classes x Artists ^^ysa^iflts. But the main contradiction was b^^een the working pw^^ and the temple representing, the instituiionalwd religious J^ddl organs. Now and then conti*ftdictiotts arose betwteft Ac temple and" ^e Bra&mins; the ^ApISc and the feudal elements; bttt the fundamental contradiction rctoained. To smother all contradictions the masses were fed with t^o fragrant and sweet religious propaganda of bhakti and love to God's devote^r^^as shown in Periapuranam of Chekkizhar. 1 R Nagasamy (Ed.), Collected Inseriptwns rf the Thanjawr Templf (Tamil), (CITT> Department of Archaology, Mandavalli, Madraa, p 18. Ibid., pp 54.58. Ibid., Adding up the number of employees mentioned in all the inscriptions. Ibid., pp 89-90. ' fbid., p 18. Ibid., p 54. Ibid., pp 54-88. Adding up the number of houses listed and counting the names of Thalicheri ptnduga I named in the Collected Inscriptions if the Thaf\jawr Temple, pp 54-88, • Ibid., p 95, lines 3-4. ^