[1079] See Kanakasabhai's book, The Tamils 1800 years ago.
[1080] Harnack (Mission und Ausbreitung des Christentums, II. 126) says "Dass die Thomas-Christen welche man im 16 Jahrhundert in Indien wieder entdeckte bis ins 3 Jahrhundert hinaufgehen lässt sich nicht erweisen."
[1081] For Akbar and Christianity, see Cathay and the Way Thither (Hakluyt Society), vol. IV. 172-3.
[1082] See Gover, Folk Songs of Southern India, 1871.
[1083] iv. 3. 95, 98.
[1084] Cf. the Pali verses in the Therîgâthâ, 157: "Hail to thee, Buddha, who savest me and many others from suffering."
[1085] See Yasht, 13. 81 and Vendidad, 19. 14.
[1086] The liberal ideas as to caste held by some Vishnuites are due to Râmânand (c. 1400) who was excommunicated by his coreligionists. I find it hard to agree with Garbe that Râmânuja admitted the theoretical equality of all castes. He says himself (Srî-Bhâshya, II. 3. 46, 47) that souls are of the same nature in so far as they are all parts of Brahman (a proposition which follows from his fundamental principles and is not at all due to Christian influence), but that some men are entitled to read the Veda while others are debarred from the privilege. All fire, he adds, is of the same nature, but fire taken from the house of a Brahman is pure, whereas fire taken from a cremation ground is impure. Even so the soul is defiled by being associated with a low-caste body.
[1087] See Grieson and Garbe. But I have not found a quotation from any original authority. Mohammed, however, had the same notion of the Trinity.
[1088] But the Mappilahs or Moplahs appear to have settled on the Malabar coast about 900 A.D.