Prologue Mahabalipuram is where the past becomes a touristic afterthought. The Pallava‑era rock cavities, the carved monoliths, the half‑ruined shrines—all stand serene under the coastal sky, admired for their stone, not their sacrament. Visitors pass by, take photographs, sip tea outside the temple, and move on. The devotion that once gave these stones life isContinue reading “Ruins of the “Thanian War”: A Dialogue at Mahabalipuram””
Tag Archives: Tamil Nadu temples
Tamil Iyengars’s Quixotic squabbles
A note on the 500 years old Thenkalai Vadakalai wars of Southern India A Substack blog post on “Amaruvi Aphorisms“ is copied here below ⬇️ Sudarshan Madabushi https://mylapore.substack.com/p/tamil-iyengarss-quixotic-squabbles AMARUVI DEVANATHAN MAY 23, 2026 Subscriber Note Let me begin with a personal note. I belong to the Vadakalai school of thought. When I had sought toContinue reading “Tamil Iyengars’s Quixotic squabbles “
An Open Letter to Tiru. S. Ramesh, the new Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE), Government of Tamil Nadu.
To, Tiru. S. RAMESH, The Honorable Minister for HR&CE,Government of Tamil Nadu,Fort St. George, Chennai. Subject: A Strategic Roadmap for Digital Transparency, Asset Protection, and Heritage Reform in Our Temples. Respected Minister, Allow me to congratulate you on your appointment to this vital ministry. As you take charge of managing over 40,000 temples and religiousContinue reading “An Open Letter to Tiru. S. Ramesh, the new Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE), Government of Tamil Nadu.”
“Mudhal Mariyaadhai”, “primus inter pares” and a religious community’s “mos majorum”
Please scroll right down below to read a summary of the above verdict delivered by the Madras High Court in the matter of dispute over claims to rights of “Mudhal mariyadhai” in the Arulmigu Sri Kallazhagar Kovil , in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. It could be argued that this verdict is blatant overturning of the wellContinue reading ““Mudhal Mariyaadhai”, “primus inter pares” and a religious community’s “mos majorum””
Savukku Sankar interview with T. R.Ramesh: “The BJP cares little for Hindu temples!”
The YouTube video below covers the legal battle that T.R. Ramesh , the NGO crusader for freeing Hindu Temples in Tamil Nadu from the clutches of the Tamil Nadu HR&CE Commission, has been taking to the Courts recently. The battle is about whether the surplus funds of the Temples can be expropriated by the HR&CEContinue reading “Savukku Sankar interview with T. R.Ramesh: “The BJP cares little for Hindu temples!””
Temple festive palanquin carriers … “Sripaada thaangeegal” … Is it right to compare them with “poor Kolkata manual riskshaw-pullers” of bygone times?
Many are the cousins and nephews and nieces, aunts and uncles of mine in America and New Zealand … first and second generation immigrants who have lived abroad for many decades now . Although geographically we live on two ends of the planet, thanks to WhatsApp we all still manage through frequent messaging interactions toContinue reading “Temple festive palanquin carriers … “Sripaada thaangeegal” … Is it right to compare them with “poor Kolkata manual riskshaw-pullers” of bygone times?”
Just Out ! Updated 2024 Low-Priced Edition of “Tale of Two Cities – An Outline of the History of Sri Vaishnavas of Tamil Nadu that was never written”… !
The NEW 2024 Updated and Second Edition of my book is now available for sale on Amazon, Blue Rose and Flipcart online retail platforms . The first Edition out last year in 2023 needed to be revised to enable the inclusion of a few more very relevant research material that had not been accessible toContinue reading “Just Out ! Updated 2024 Low-Priced Edition of “Tale of Two Cities – An Outline of the History of Sri Vaishnavas of Tamil Nadu that was never written”… !”
“ahamasmyaparādhacakravartī” : Part-2: A pilgrim’s jottings at “Sri Vaikuntam Kshetra”
A pilgrim’s jottings on a 3-day whirlwind pilgrimage, May 4th, 2024 (Tirunelveli) May 4th at dawn in Tirunelveli — when I set out on my “yaathra” to all 9 of the Nava Tirupati “divya desa kshetras”— threatened to be a torrid day. The weathermen in the newspapers, and on TV channels, were all warning ofContinue reading ““ahamasmyaparādhacakravartī” : Part-2: A pilgrim’s jottings at “Sri Vaikuntam Kshetra””
HURRY UP and BUY THIS BOOK on the History of THE Sri Vaishnava community! It has an important Foreword written by Aravindan Neelakandan (Co-author of the best selling book “Breaking India” with Rajiv Malhotra) :
The Decline and Fall of the “ubaya-vedaantins”: Part-45
Hereditary and/or traditional rights of control over temple wealth and administration (continued) In the decades after Independence, in the democratic, socialistic and secular republic of India, successive elected governments of the State of Tamil Nadu realized the enormous potential for extracting great and steady revenue-streams and wealth — not to mention enormous leverage in electoralContinue reading “The Decline and Fall of the “ubaya-vedaantins”: Part-45″