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This book is an unusual and scholarly introduction to the life, work and significance of Arunakiri, a Tamil poet and mystic. The subject was instrumental in initiating a new wave of Hindu vernacular devotionalism in Tamil culture in the wake of severe Islamic incursions and an extended period of sanskritization. Arunakiri is important for a number of reasons not the least being his role as the harbinger of a Tamil renaissance and as the exemplar of a classic poetic style that beautifully combines text and performance.
Importantly, the author summarizes the literature on this poet, in both English and the vernacular languages, and places him in the context of Tamil and Hindu bhakti. This work offers for the first time readable translations of selection of his work, and explores the role this poet has been made to play in the 19th and 20th century resurgence of Tamil Hindu devotionalism in South India and Southeast Asia.
