Umapati Sivam is one of the major figures in the Saiva Siddhanta tradition, composing many of the works that now comprise the Saiva philosophical canon. He was also involved in an incident in which a thorn bush was granted moksha. This article chronicles his life and gives full details of the thorn bush incident.
Kumaradeva
This is an account of Kumaradeva, a distinguished Tamil saint and scholar who lived several centuries ago. It contains extracts from his hagiography and translations of verses in which he declares his liberation.
Andavan Picchai
Maragathamma was a devotee of Murugan who was blessed by him to sing spontaneous compositions in his praise. Her story is a scarcely credible account that seems to belong in an ancient purana, rather than the twentieth century.
King Vallalan of Tiruvannamalai
King Vallalan was a South Indian ruler who was based in Tiruvannamalai in the first decades of the 14th century. His exploits are chronicled in the Arunachala Puranam. In this article I compare the puranic version of his life with the known historical facts.
Arunagirinatha
Arunagirinatha was a Murugan bhakta who lived in Tiruvannamalai in the late 1300s and early 1400s AD. This article narrates the traditional story of his life and compares it to the biographical material that appears in his poetry.
Archived articles: Tamil saints
Articles on and translated texts by Tamil saints that originally appeared on my old site. They include Arunagirinatha, Manikkavachagar, Guhai Namasivaya and Guru Namasivaya.