# Shaivism · The Canon · The Atlas · The Congregation of Tomorrow

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The Canon · No. 056
Shaivism
The tradition of Shiva
c.2nd c. BCE – present · Dharmic / Indian · Living · India, especially Tamil Nadu, Kashmir, Nepal; diaspora
V. THE MEDIEVAL WORLD — c.500 – 1500 CE
### How many
### Who began it
### What it is for
### What it worships
### What it holds
### What it does
### After death
### Its texts
### Its branches
### Of note
### Its timeline
- c.2nd c. BCE Patanjali mentions Shiva-worshipping ascetics.
- c.6th–9th c. CE The 63 Nayanars compose Tamil hymns; devotional Shaivism spreads.
- c.850–1250 CE Chola dynasty; the Brihadeeswarar temple at Thanjavur (1010) and the great Nataraja bronzes.
- c.850–1015 CE Kashmir Shaivism: Vasugupta, Utpaladeva, Abhinavagupta.
- 1105–1167 CE Basava founds the Lingayat movement in Karnataka — anti-caste, anti-temple, with an assembly open to all including outcastes and women. It is one of the most radical social movements in Indian religious history.
- c.13th c. CE Meykandar systematises Shaiva Siddhanta in Tamil.
- 1947–present Lingayats, roughly 20% of Karnataka, periodically campaign for recognition as a religion separate from Hinduism.
### Sources
Not yet checked against named sources. This entry is the house's reading; until it is checked, treat each claim as unverified. Correct it, with a source.
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