- Antal
Antal (also Andhak, Aundh, or Anlak), known in classical writings as the Amateans (IPA2|ˌæməˈtiːənz) or Antixenes (IPA2|ˌæntɨˈziːnz), is a
gotra ofJats found inIndia . Antal is agotra in kashyap rajpoot also.Antal Jats are mainly found in the
Ambala District ofHaryana . The Jat historianThakur Deshraj identifies them with the "amatae" people ofSindh described byMegasthenes . [*Thakur Deshraj : Jat Itihas (Hindi),Maharaja Suraj Mal Smarak Shiksha Sansthan, Delhi, 1934.]The leading figure of the twelve major
Alvar poets of theSrivaisnavas is the female mystic saint Antal. Antal (literally "she who rules"), who is regarded by her disciples as a goddess, composed a number of devotional hymns addressed to Krishna, peppered with strains of strong social protest against the oppression of women and the lower castes. These hymns form the core of Srivaisnava liturgy. Because of the central role of Antal in the development of the Srivaisnava community, the sect accords a status to women that is markedly different from that of classicalBrahminism .References
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