Ramalinga Swamigal

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 saints and a notable Tamil poet of the 19th century. He belongs to a line of Tamil saints known as "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]