Vaḷḷalār and Nāvalar: A History of the Literary Feud

‘Aruṭpā’ (Poems of Divine Grace) vs. ‘Maruṭpā’ (Poems of Delusion)

P. Saravanan, K. Thiagarajan

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9781041264552
  9781041264545
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781040885543
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Asian Literary Collections
• Index: Literature

In the nineteenth century, Tamil Nadu in South India and the Tamil-speaking regions of Sri Lanka were shaken by an extraordinary literary and religious conflict—a nearly fifty-year-long battle of wits that divided vertically Tamil scholarship across both societies.

At the heart of this storm lay the collected hymns of Va??al?r, titled Tiruvaru?p? (Poems of Divine Grace) by his followers. However, these hymns were fiercely opposed and rejected by N?valar and his traditionalist allies, who dismissed them as Maru?p? (Poems of Delusion), arguing that the sacred epithet Tiruvaru?p? belonged solely to the ancient Saivite texts.

This historical study chronicles and delves into the bitter feud between Va??al?r, the revolutionary saint-poet who championed a simple, ritual-free, and iconoclastic form of worship, and ??umuka N?valar, the staunch defender of traditional Saivite orthodoxy. Their ideological clash not only shaped the religious and literary landscape of their time but also left a lasting impact on Tamil culture and spirituality.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Mission Statement
• Contents
• Foreword
• Author's Preface
• Translator's Preface
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Aruṭpā: Publication Tradition
• 3 Āṟumuka Nāvalar and Aruṭpā Refutation
• 4 Katiraivēṟ Piḷḷai’s Rejection of ‘Aruṭpā’
• 5 In Final ….
• Appendix 1: The History of Tiruvaruṭpā
• Appendix 2: Title Page Original and Translation
• Appendix 3: Details of Nāvalar's Libel Suit - Paṇṭitamaṇi Ci. Kaṇapatip Piḷḷai
• Appendix 4: Popular Disputes: ‘Aruṭpā’ or ‘Maruṭpā’? – Thumilan
• Appendix 5: Excellence of Aruṭpā
• Appendix 6: Irāmaliṅkap Piḷḷai Satirical Poems
• Appendix 7: The Cannon that Fires Out
• Appendix 8: The Terrible Summer…Arrow Blessed by Lord Siva
• Appendix 9: The Cremation in the Funeral Site Set by Cañcīvirāyaṉ for Tirikōṇamalai Ilaṅkaṇip Piḷḷai
• Appendix 10 The Annihilating Arrow of Rama from Erikōṇamalai Targetting Tirikōṇamalai Ilaṅkaṇip Piḷḷai
• Appendix 11 The Last Obsequies of…. who Released the Maruṭpā book
• Appendix 11-A The First Annual Funeral Ceremony Notice
• Appendix 12 A Letter of Vaḷḷalār
• Appendix 12-A Nāvalar’s Handwriting
• Appendix 13 Aruṭpā - Maruṭpā Censures
• Appendix 14 Participants of the Aruṭpā – Maruṭpā Dispute
• Appendix 15 Key Personalities of Vaḷḷalār Times
• References