Ancestor Worship in Neelakesi

நீலகேசியல் அருக வழிபாடு

Abstract

Neelakesi, a polemical text explaining Jaina metaphysics, is one of the five minor epics. It was composed as a counter-text to the Tamil Buddhist work Gundalakēsi. The text consists of 10 sarukkus (sections) and 894 verses. The first edition of Neelakesi, published in 1936 by A. Chakravarthi Nayinar, contains references to ancestor worship (aruka vaazhipadu). The work not only elaborates on Jaina metaphysical principles but also highlights the practice of ancestor worship, showing the interconnectedness of religious philosophy and social rituals in that period.