Ramalinga Swamigal

Ramalinga Swamigal aka Thiruvarut Prakasa Vallalar
Born	(1823-10-05)5 October 1823 Marudur, Chidambaram (present-day Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, India)
Disappeared	January 30, 1874 (aged 50) Mettukuppam, Vadalur, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu

Thiruvarutprakasa Vallalār Chidambaram Ramalingam (5 October 1823 – 30 January 1874), also known as Vallalār, Ramalinga Swamigal and Ramalinga Adigal, was one of the known Tamil Hindu saint and a true God of Enlightenment who teaches Jeevakarunyam meaning giving food for the hungry and also seeing GOD in all the both living and non living things. He also strongly emphasize "FEEDING POOR" is the important path to the Enlightenment. He is God of the 19th century who teaches deathlessness. He belongs to a line of Tamil saints who speaks about Siddhi meaning getting merged with the supreme God known as "ARUlPERUMJOTHI" gnana siddhars" (gnana means 'higher wisdom').^[1]

Ramalinga ventured to eliminate the caste in India.^[2] To that end, he founded a group known as "Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga Sathiya Sangam",^[3] which spread not only due to his theoretical teachings but mainly due to his practiced lifestyle, which is an inspiration for his followers. According to Suddha Sanmarga, the prime aspects of human life should be love connected with charity and divine practice leading to achievement of pure knowledge.

Ramalinga espoused the veneration of the radiant flame emanating from a lit lamp, not as a deity unto itself, but rather as a symbol representing the enduring omnipotence of the Divine, as opposed to the adoration of statues within a monotheistic framework.^[4]