The 140th anniversary of Veermamunivar’s birth was celebrated on November 8, 2020. Veeramamunivar, a Jesuit priest, is famous in the Tamil literature circle for his epic Thembavani. Christian missionaries also composed small literary works including Thevaram based on hymns sung by the Saivaite saints.

 

♦ Veermamunivar was attracted by the bhakti movement that thrived in Tamil Nadu and the singing of hymns by the Nayanmar and Azwar people.

♦ The Bhakti movement refers to the trend of spiritual spirituality that appeared in Hinduism in the Middle Ages, which later became the de facto catalyst for the formation of Sikhism.

♦ It originated in southern India (now Tamil Nadu and Kerala) in the eighth century and spread northward. From the 15th century, it swept across the east and north of India, and reached its peak in the 15th to 17th centuries CE.

♦ The movement began with Saiva Nayanars and Vaisnava Alvars, who lived between the 5th and 9th centuries AD. Their efforts eventually helped spread Bhakti’s poems and ideas throughout India from the 12th to the 18th century.

♦ The movement was inspired by many poets and saints, who advocated a wide range of philosophical positions, from the dualism of Devata theology to the absolute monism of Advata Vedanta.

♦ The Bhakti movement began with the purpose of reforming Hinduism.