Historical Facts of Propagation of Vaishnavism

Abstract

We get some indication of the process of propagation and development of Vaishnavism from ancient literature and archaeological remains. Indirect signs of this religion are found in Panini's Ashtadhyayi. At the time of the Greek invasion of the fourth century CE, this religion was prevalent in some form or the other. The absence of this religion in the records of Ashoka of the third century BC cannot be said that this religion was unknown. Bhandarkar received the remains of the temple of Sankarshan - Vasudeva in an excavation of a place called Nagari (Rajasthan), which he believed to be of the fourth century BCE, with its stone cover dating to the BC century. Similarly, an ancient temple of Vishnu is also found in Besanagar (Vidisha). Near this temple, Heliodorus, the envoy of Yavana King Antialcidus of Taxila, who came to Vidisha, in the second century BC, installed the Garuda-flag to commemorate his adoption of Vaishnavism. This Garudadhvaja-stambha was first discovered by Cunningham in 1877 and Marshall published an explanation of the article mentioned on this pillar in 1908