The Kanda Puranam, or Tamil version of the Skanda Purana, was written by Kachiappa Sivasariyar of Kumara Kottam at Kanchipuram. According to the account of Kachiappa, each day he would write his inspired account of the career of Lord Murugan or Skanda, and in the evening deposit his day's work in the malastham of Lord Subrahmanya at Kumara Kottam.


Each night, miraculously, the Lord Himself would modify Kachiappa's manuscript with His own corrections. Hence, the Kanda Puranam is considered to be the absolutely authoritative account of Lord Murugan's career bearing the seal of approval of none other than the Lord Himself.


The original Kanda Puranam was intended to be recited aloud in Tamil to audiences who were already well acquainted with the marvelous career of Lord Murugan.

Arunagirinatha was a traditional type of devout Hindu. His learning, especially of religious and spiritual literature must have been acquired in his early years and it was both vast and deep. In the Tamil language, he excelled in expression and learning. In his compositions, he exhibits familiarity with the Tamil Works such as: Tevaram, Tirukkural, Kaarigai, Ula, Easal, Kalambakam, Kovai, Sindu, Madal and Maalai.He had also cultivated the art of writing eulogies of rich men to obtain presents of money from them. His compositions abound in the use of Sanskrit words and they also show that he was familiar with the Itihasas, Puranas, the Gita, the Upanishads, Agamas, Mantra and Tantra Sastras, Yoga Sutras and Kama Sutra

Thiruttondar Puraanam, more popularly known as 'Peria Puraanam' (the Magnificent Narration) was the prose version from Sekkizhar Peruman.The theme of this text is a rapturous account of the lives of the 63 Saivite Saints, hailed as Nayanmars or Nayanars, who graced the Tamil kingdom more than 1300 years ago.(Stories No 6 to No 25 are among some of the stories of these Nayanmars.)

These Nayanmars have played an important role in the Tamil kingdom and some of their statues are placed in temple of India.The images of the Saiva saints Appar, Sambandar, Sundarar and Manikkavachakar are placed in temple entrances (Appar - West, Sambandar - South,  Sundarar - North and Manikkavachakar - East).CHIDAMBARAM - Siva (Natarajar) Temple.Maanikkavaacakar : the Saivite Saint Poet is the author of the renowned Tiruvaacakam and Tirukkovaiyaar that comprise the 8th Tirumurai of the Saivite liturgy.

Tirupperunturai near Arantaangi near Thanjavur houses a grand temple to Shiva built by Maanikkavaacakar. This temple is a treasure house of sculptural wealth.The month of Maargazhi is an appropriate time to get a glimpse of the life of Maanikkavaacakar, the Saint Poet, in whose honor, the 10 days prior the Aarudra Darisanam are celebrated in Saivite temples all over Tamil Nadu ,where during this time the temples take on a festive look with the chanting of the Tiruvempaavai and Tiruppalliezhuchi hymns composed by him, several centuries ago.


Sundaramurthy Nayanar exemplified sakha bhakti this is raja yoga. Thirunavukkarasar exemplified daasa bhakti this is karma yoga. Manickavachakar exemplified moksha sanyasa yoga. And Sambandar exemplified dhyana yoga.

To know more about all the 63 Nayanmars refer www.shaivam.org and to hear Thevaram via audio go to http://www.geocities.com/pasug/

Perhaps the most remembered and quoted woman in India history is a sixteenth century poet, singer and saint called Mirabai, or Meera(1498?-1546 C.E). Versions of her songs are sung today all over India, and she appears as a subject in films, books, dances, plays and paintings. Even Mohandas Gandhi promoted her, seeing Mira as a symbol of a woman who has the right to chose her own path, forsake a life of luxury, and in nonviolent resistance find liberation.

Mira's life resonates in the hearts of many in India today for many reasons. First there are her words, which with beauty and joy express a kind of female liberation. In them, her rejection and even disdain of the wealthy and their life of riches also appeals to the poor. Then there is her rebellion, which is seen as being against injustice within the family and within kinships groups in general. While valuing women as mothers above all, India also reveres the self-expression of Mira, a childless woman who is identified as having rebelled against her husband and in-laws.

Reverentially called Bhagwadpada Acharya (The Guru at the feet of Lord),Adi Sankara (approximately 788-820 CE) was the most famous Advaita philosopher who had a profound influence on the growth of Hinduism through his non-dualistic philosophy. He advocated the greatness and importance of theVedas,(the basic scripture of the Hindus) and gave new life to Hinduism when it was suffering due to the increasing influence of Buddhism. He was born in Kaladi, a small village in Kerala,India.

At the time Hinduism had lost some of its appeal, because of the influence of Buddhism. Sankara stressed the importance of the Vedas and his work helped Hinduism regain strength and popularity. His teachers include: Gaudapada and Govinda.

Although he had a short-lived lifespan, he had single handedly walked around India to restore the knowledge of the vedas and show once again their greatness. It is because of this man that a country almost entirely Buddhist became once again almost entirely Hindu. It may be to his credit that at least some of the Vedas survive to today.

Sankara's theology maintains that spiritual ignorance (Avidya) is caused by seeing the self (Atman) where self is not. Discrimination needs to be developed in order to true from false and knowledge (jnana) from ignorance (avidya).

He is said to have founded four mathas (a matha is a monastery or religious order) which are important to this day. These are at Sringeri in Karnataka, in the south; Dwaraka in Gujarat in the west; Puri in Orissa in the east; and Jyotirmath (Joshimath) in Uttaranchal in the north. The heads of the mathas trace their authority back to him. More on him in www.advaita-vedanta.org