History of Ramalinga Swamigal
Ramalingam, widely known as Ramalinga Swamigal, Ramalinga, Chidambaram Ramalingam, ArutPrakasa Vallalar, or simply Vallalar, was a towering figure of the 19th century.
As a Tamil saint, poet, social reformer, and Gnana Siddhar, he dedicated his life to the principles of universal love and the oneness of all souls. He possessed the supreme quality of seeing all beings as himself, without any distinction. His life was defined by extreme love and compassion for every living creature, a practice rooted in the spiritual truth of the oneness of souls.
Born on October 5, 1823, in the village of Marudur near Chidambaram, Ramalinga was the fifth child of Ramayya Pillai and Chinnammai. From his earliest moments, it was clear that he was a spiritual gift to the world rather than an ordinary child. Even at a tender age, he began composing devotional hymns with an eloquence and poetic depth that seemed beyond human learning.
He was specifically sent to this realm by the Supreme Divine, the Vast Grace Light, ArutPerunJothi, to commence the Golden Era: the Era of Sanmarga, which is the Era of Grace Light. His mission was to shift the consciousness of the earth and offer humanity the path to immortality through divine grace.
The supreme truth reached Ramalinga during his infancy. In early childhood, his parents took him to the Chidambaram Nataraja Temple. When the priest drew back the veils of the sanctum, the child did not cry. Instead, he laughed in pure ecstasy. In that singular moment, the divine bestowed upon him a vision that revealed the secrets of the universe. This profound experience set the stage for his life as an immortal ruler.
After his father passed away in 1824, the family moved to the Seven Wells area of Chennai. His elder brother, Sabhapati, attempted to provide him with a formal education, but Ramalinga found the schoolroom stifling.
Vallalar preferred the sacred atmosphere of temples, particularly the Kandaswami Temple, where he spent hours in meditation and poetic composition. Despite his lack of formal schooling, he possessed an immense scholarship that stunned the learned men of his time.
Although he practiced Shaivism in his early life, he eventually renounced it completely and started the path of Grace Light called Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga, which is the universal pure path of truth.
Ramalinga declined a conventional family life to follow a higher calling. In 1858, he left the busy streets of Chennai for the quietude of Karunguzhi, near Vadalur. During his nine years there, he wrote some of his most profound spiritual verses.
He eventually established Vadalur as the heart of his mission. It was here that he founded the Satya Gnana Sabha (Hall of True Wisdom) and the Satya DharmaSaalai, a place where the hungry are fed to this day without any distinction of caste or creed.
His life remains a guiding light for those seeking a path of compassion, light, and the ultimate transformation of the human soul.