A tale of Two Cities = A tale of Two Sects— A simplified version of the original review

AMARUVI DEVANATHAN MAY 26, 2026 Dear Reader, Two Class 8 children wanted me to re-write my original review in a simpler form so that they could understand in full. Hence this. Who are the Vadakalais and Thenkalais? Where do they come from? Why do they fight in Indian courts on completely insignificant matters? From whenContinue reading “A tale of Two Cities = A tale of Two Sects— A simplified version of the original review”

Ruins of the “Thanian War”: A Dialogue at Mahabalipuram”

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””

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 “

Amaruvi Devanathan’s Book Review: “A Tale of Two Cities: the decline and fall of the ‘Ubaya-vedantins” – The History of the Sri Vaishnavas of Tamil Nadu that was never told”

Amaruvi Devanathan is an Indian author, public speaker, and professional banking technologist. He frequently describes himself with the catchphrase “a banker by day and blogger by night,” balancing a corporate career in data architecture with a prominent role in the Tamil and English literary circuits.  Professional Background Literary & Public Work Published Books He has written several notable worksContinue reading “Amaruvi Devanathan’s Book Review: “A Tale of Two Cities: the decline and fall of the ‘Ubaya-vedantins” – The History of the Sri Vaishnavas of Tamil Nadu that was never told””

What is present population size of Ayyangars? And how large is the size of the “Vadakalai” subsect?

Recently, some friends of mine on a WhatsApp group were engaged in chatter while discussing comparative Jain community population versus Ayyangar community size. Although , the Jains represent a religious minority while Ayyangars represent a Hindu sect , the lively discussion continued nevertheless. My views stated during the discussions were as follows : Ayyangars areContinue reading “What is present population size of Ayyangars? And how large is the size of the “Vadakalai” subsect?”

Dushyant Sridhar’s jingoistic FB comment only proves the point made in my 2024 book: “The Decline and Fall of the “ubhaya vedantins”

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1818EjnJ4E/?mibextid=wwXIfr https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17puU48Ue2/ The above URL of Sri. Dushyant Sridhar short-video clip of course will be music indeed to the ears and hearts of Vadakalais . I’m sure Dushyant’s fan following might increase by a few hundreds. It will most certainly be red rag waved in the raging faces of the Tenkalais . But the questionContinue reading “Dushyant Sridhar’s jingoistic FB comment only proves the point made in my 2024 book: “The Decline and Fall of the “ubhaya vedantins””

Tenkalai and Vadakalai Sri Vaishnavas’ endless legal battle: Can a Phyrric victory for either side erase the “writing on the wall” for both?

Pyrrhic means a victory won at such a devastating cost that it’s almost a defeat. King Pyrrhus of Epirus: his army suffered huge losses winning battles against the Romans, leaving him too weak to continue. It describes any success that ultimately proves worthless due to the immense price paid, like winning a lawsuit but losing everything in legalContinue reading “Tenkalai and Vadakalai Sri Vaishnavas’ endless legal battle: Can a Phyrric victory for either side erase the “writing on the wall” for both?”

An “Unusual” speculation on the “U” and “Y” symbolism of Sri Vaishnavism

The verdict of the Madras High Court dated November 28, 2025 in the long-standing dispute over which Sri Vaishnava sect has the right to press for and exercise its “mirasi rights” to chant its own sectarian litanies and hymns in the sanctum has ruled wholly in favour of the Tenkalais. The judgement has now leftContinue reading “An “Unusual” speculation on the “U” and “Y” symbolism of Sri Vaishnavism”

PART- 2 of 2 (CONCLUDED): 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 ?

The 1910 decree did certainly establish the legal framework that later, in Kanchipuram right until Nov 28, 2025, became as reported, the single most compelling reason why the Madras High Court relied upon it as overriding precedent governing the religious rights, honours, and rituals of the Tenkalai and Vadakalai sects in all major temples suchContinue reading “PART- 2 of 2 (CONCLUDED): 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 ?”

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 ?”