Quote:
Originally Posted by NOV
I dont understand what is pancaratra but there are dozens of perumal temples all over malaysia. but majority of them are thenkalai.
My guess is that most Perumal temples in Malaysia follow the vaikanasa tradition and not the Pancaratra tradition as :
a) the priests are likely to be from vaikanasa temples in India.
b) temple management adopting Tirupathi's standard of worship.
c) Tirupathi Devasthanam's active promotion of the Vaikanasa tradition, like through sponsorhip etc.
Vaikanasa and Pancaratra are 2 different texts on ritualistic worship. Vaikanasas are strictly hereditary and follow the vaikhanasa agama. Based on their text, they reject the panca samkara (5 sacraments), reverance to Alvars or acaryas like Ramanuja etc.
Vaikanasa vaisnava priests serve in most of the Vishnu temples in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The best example of a Vaikanasa Temple - Tirupathi, Venkateswara and the best example of a Pancaratra temple - Sri Rangam Ranganatha Temple.
The outward appearance of Vaikanasas and Srivaisnavas is the same. And due to the influence of Srivaisnavism, vaikanasas have adopted some Srivaisnava ideology including the Tenkalai - Vadakalai schism.