PART-1 of 2: Did a flawed, ill-conceived legal strategy result in Vadakalais losing their case in the Madras High Court over their rights in Kanchi Varadaraja Perumal temple ?

This detailed analysis below of the Common Judgment dated November 28, 2025, passed by the Division Bench of the High Court of Judicature at Madras in a batch of cases (including W.A. Nos. 1381 & 1382 of 2022) reveals the plausible story of how and why perhaps a flawed legal strategy adopted by the VadakalaisContinue reading “PART-1 of 2: Did a flawed, ill-conceived legal strategy result in Vadakalais losing their case in the Madras High Court over their rights in Kanchi Varadaraja Perumal temple ?”

What’s the hallmark of a Sri Vaishnava “Kovil”? The “Rangarajan Narasimhan Doctrine”!

This debate is old, petty, stale, futile and reflects so poorly on the general cultural traits of the entire Sri Vaishnava community of Tamil Nadu. Sri. Rangarajan Narasimhan has made his name as an indefatigable firebrand activist for protection of Hindu temples in Tamil Nadu. I have great personal respect for him on that account.Continue reading “What’s the hallmark of a Sri Vaishnava “Kovil”? The “Rangarajan Narasimhan Doctrine”!”

The morning after Madras High Court verdict on the Kanchipuram Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple: “Vadakalai” cause finally lost?

Yesterday, November 28, 2025 will go down as a sad, black day of mourning for the Vadakalai Sri Vaishnava sectarian community in India and abroad. The Madras High Court has legally affirmed that the Kanchipuram Vadakalai temple must be treated as a Thenkalai/Thennacharya Sampradaya temple, with corresponding denominational rights flowing primarily to the Thennacharya groupContinue reading “The morning after Madras High Court verdict on the Kanchipuram Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple: “Vadakalai” cause finally lost?”

The Kanchipuram Sri Varadaraja Perumal: the Madras High Court passes Judgment : it belongs to “Tenkalai Sampradayam”

The High Court passed its Verdict today on a long simmering dispute between our two great Sri Vaishnava sects over the Kanchipuram Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple and, not surprisingly, the first person to celebrate the judgment is from the city of Sri Rangam who has tweeted on X below : The judgment resolves a long‑standingContinue reading “The Kanchipuram Sri Varadaraja Perumal: the Madras High Court passes Judgment : it belongs to “Tenkalai Sampradayam””

Is a false narrative being presented about Sri Ramanujacharya’s “74 simhaasanaadipathi” institutions and so-called “tennaachaarya sampradayam”

Being a Sri Vaishnava myself, reading the above news item troubles me greatly in mind. I wonder if this is some sort of strategy that seeks to build a Tenkalai narrative presenting Sri Ramanuja’s 74 simhasanaadhipathi peetams as exclusively belonging to “tennaachaarya sampradayam” distinct from the “Desika sampradayam”. If it is so then I mustContinue reading “Is a false narrative being presented about Sri Ramanujacharya’s “74 simhaasanaadipathi” institutions and so-called “tennaachaarya sampradayam””

புத்தக விமர்சனம்: “A Tale of Two Cities: The Decline and Fall of the “Ubaya-Vedantins”

புத்தக விமர்சனம்: “A Tale of Two Cities: The Decline and Fall of the “Ubaya-Vedantins” எம். கே. சுதர்ஷனின் “A Tale of Two Cities: The Decline and Fall of the ‘Ubaya-Vedantins’” (இரு நகரங்களின் கதை: ‘உபய-வேதாந்தின்கள்’ வீழ்ச்சி மற்றும் அவசானம்) என்பது, தமிழ்நாட்டில் உள்ள ஸ்ரீவைஷ்ணவ சமுதாயத்தின் ஆயிரம் ஆண்டுகளைக் கொண்ட வரலாற்றை 11ஆம் நூற்றாண்டு முதல் இன்றுவரை விரிவாக விவரிக்கும் ஒரு முக்கியமான வரலாற்று நூலாகும்.Continue reading “புத்தக விமர்சனம்: “A Tale of Two Cities: The Decline and Fall of the “Ubaya-Vedantins””

Book Review: “A Tale of Two Cities: The Decline and Fall of the “Ubaya-Vedantins”

Book Review: “A Tale of Two Cities: The Decline and Fall of the “Ubaya-Vedantins” M.K. Sudarshan’s “A Tale of Two Cities: The Decline and Fall of the ‘Ubaya-Vedantins’” offers a sweeping historical narrative that chronicles the thousand-year history of the Sri Vaishnava community in Tamil Nadu, spanning from the 11th century CE to the presentContinue reading “Book Review: “A Tale of Two Cities: The Decline and Fall of the “Ubaya-Vedantins””

Distinguished (retd) civil servant M.R.Sivaraman’s wholehearted endorsement of my book, “The Tale of Two Cities: Outline of the History of the Sri Vaishnavas of Tamil Nadu that was never written”

The gentleman below Sri. M.R. Sivaraman I.A.S was very kind indeed to have taken the time out to send me a personal email this morning. He is so distinguished he needs no introduction really but nonetheless here below is his online profile: His email dt. 20 Feb 2025 is reproduced below ⬇️ and so isContinue reading “Distinguished (retd) civil servant M.R.Sivaraman’s wholehearted endorsement of my book, “The Tale of Two Cities: Outline of the History of the Sri Vaishnavas of Tamil Nadu that was never written””

The sadly never-ending “Tale of Two Cities” that I wrote …. an exercise in futility

https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/india/tamil-nadu/story/vadakalai-and-thenkalai-sects-argue-during-paarvettai-ritual-in-tamil-nadus-kancheepuram-2665796-2025-01-16 https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Fnm4qi8SR/?mibextid=wwXIfr https://twitter.com/Ravilochanan86/status/1879871741629239431?t=a0nvOrr8Yk-W1JO-HbK1aw&s=08 I wrote my book (see below) two years ago out of anguish and great sadness … Since then, the world of Sri Vaishnavas has not changed . The sectarian bickering and petty-mindedness doesn’t seem to diminish one bit. As a writer of the book, I’m now left nursing a sense of profoundContinue reading “The sadly never-ending “Tale of Two Cities” that I wrote …. an exercise in futility”

Full Text of Speech of M.K.Sudarshan delivered at the event held on September 3, 2023 to release his newly published book “A Tale of Two Cities, the Decline and Fall of the “Ubhaya Vedantins” at the TAG CENTRE Auditorium, Alwarpet, Chennai.

At an event held in the TAG CENTRE Auditorium at 6.30 PM on September 3, 2023, the first copy of the book authored by M.K.Sudarshan, “A Tale of Two Cities: the decline and fall of the “ubhaya vedantins”- A history of the Sri Vaishnavas of Tamil Nadu that was never written” was released by Dr.Continue reading “Full Text of Speech of M.K.Sudarshan delivered at the event held on September 3, 2023 to release his newly published book “A Tale of Two Cities, the Decline and Fall of the “Ubhaya Vedantins” at the TAG CENTRE Auditorium, Alwarpet, Chennai.”