தமிழர் சமயமும் தமிழ்ப் பக்தி இயக்கமும்: ஓர் வரலாற்றுச் சமூகவியல் ஆய்வு

Tamil Religious History and the Tamil Bhakti Movement: A Historical and Sociological Study

Abstract

This research paper comprehensively examines the evolutionary trajectory of Tamil religious history and the socio-religious impacts of the Bhakti movement in Tamil Nadu from the 6th to the 9th century CE. It elucidates how the spiritual ethos of the Tamils, which originated from primitive nature worship and Tolkappiyam’s landscape-based (Thinai) deities, underwent transitions during the Kalabhra period due to the ascendancy of heterodox religions like Jainism and Buddhism. Furthermore, the paper analyses the decline of these heterodox sects owing to their stringent ascetic doctrines and internal deviations, which paved the way for the resurgence of native Shaivism and Vaishnavism spearheaded by the Nayanmars and Alvars. This study demonstrates that the Bhakti movement was not merely a spiritual revival but a profound social revolution that challenged caste hierarchies, a linguistic revolution that supplanted Sanskrit hegemony to establish Tamil as the language of liturgy, and a cultural renaissance that fostered temple-centric architecture and fine arts