Before going into the details of the temple history, it would not be out of place to mention briefly the political and social condition of India, when Sri Ramalingaswamigal known as Vallalar came into the religious scene in Tamilnadu with a strong focus on educating people on the principles of religion, giving it a new face to foster tolerance and unity among the communities professing various faiths.
India was always the target of foreign powers to establish their empire here totally destroying the culture, civilization and the original religions of the country. They wanted to introduce their own language and religion and make the country their own with their own designs and part of their empire headquartered elsewhere. The years between 1757 and 1857 were so testing in nature that foreign politicians played their role effectively in India. Their intention was to promote their own religion. They wanted to eliminate the domestic religions humiliating our Acharyas.
Director of the East India Company, Mangles spoke in the British parliament in so passionate a language that no consideration should be entertained on Indian philosophies and that the country should be brought under the total control of their religion.
Lord Macaulay, who introduced English in education in India in the year 1836 in Bengal claimed that if the system was meticulously followed there would not be a single Hindu or Muslim in the country. He also said that he wanted to create a new society in India who would be Indians by birth but British by spirit.
But little he realized that he was founding a revolution. After the Sepoy Mutiny, Queen Victoria realized that it was impossible to sustain the British empire in India offending the religions of the country and declared that British rule in India would not interfere in the religious freedom of the people. Yet, the political developments opened the eyes of the educated and forced them to realize it was necessary to eliminate the superstitions among the people and the divisions caused by castes and creed. India needed great and dedicated reformers.
Bengal gave Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Gujarat Dayananda Saraswathi and Tamilnadu Sri Ramalinga Arutprakasa Vallalar to create a renaissance in the life of Indians. They gave a new definition to spirituality and their approach was so broad and noble that accommodated even those belonging to imported religions.
Sri Vallalar wanted to see a single ‘one world’ united by souls. His mission was entirely different from other Acharyas.
Sri Arutprakasa Ramalinga Vallalar was born on October 5, 1823 on a Sunday, as a Sun to dispel the darkness created by total misunderstanding of religions – illusions, says learned Tamil scholar Silambu Selvar Ma. Po. Si. in his book Vallalar Kanda Orumaipadu – Integration of souls as propagated by Vallalar.
The life of Vallalar was one with continuous struggles. His hymns Arutpa was criticized as Marutpa (illusion hymns) by some pundits. They too later realized that Vallalar’s Samarasa Suddha Sanmargam was an ideal religion that gave a new shape to our faith accommodating humanity as whole.
History: Sri Arutprakasa Ramalinga Vallalar was born to Ramiah and Chinnammai couples who lived in Marudur. Chinnammai had the habit of feeding at least one poor devotee before she took food. Son also followed the footprints of the mother. This is what prompted Ramalingaswamigal to establish the Dharma Sala.
Hexaganal shaped Sabha: To impress the truth that God helps devotees as a light-lamp, Vallalar created this lotus designed Sabha, lighting the lamp in the front of the design. During the daily pujas at 11.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. it is performed for this lamp and the curtains behind it. The Deepa offering (Deepa aaradhana) are shown in the small and golden sabhas (Chirchabai and Porchabai). There is a board reading, "only vegetarians allowed." Those desirous of dropping meat eating come here.
The Arutperunjothi Agaval authored by Vallalar is engraved here. The lamp lit by Vallalar in Sathya Gnana Sabha is still burning. There is a mirror in front of the lamp and curtains of black, blue, green, red, golden and white and multi colours. When the curtains are removed, the jyoti could be seen through the mirror. That is to say that man could see the light in him if he removes the seven bad traits in him.