Saiva Siddhantha shaped Tamil identity through its emphasis on devotion: J.P. Nadda

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Saturday released a special souvenir during the Sixth International Saiva Siddhantha Conference, near Chennai on Saturday
| Photo Credit: S.R. Raghunathan

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Saturday (May 3, 2025) said ‘Saiva Siddhantha’ is not merely a religious philosophy but a civilisational ethos that teaches the sacred relationship between the soul, God, and the world.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Sixth International Saiva Siddhantha Conference, jointly convened by Tirukayilaya Paramparai Dharmapuram Adheenam’s International Institute of Saiva Siddhantha Research, Dharmapuram, and SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) at Kattankulathur near Chennai, Mr. Nadda said Saiva Siddhantha, which is rooted deeply in Tamil Nadu’s spiritual soil, shaped the Tamil identity through its emphasis on devotion, virtue, and liberation through divine grace.

“Tamil Nadu is a blessed land. The Sangam poets and Saiva saints have nourished this philosophy through its sacred temples, arts, and literary treasures. The holy Thevaram composed by the saints Appar [Thirunavukkarasar], Sundarar, and Thirugnanasambandar teaches the divine energy, and the sacred Thiruvasagam by Saint Manickavasagar melts even the hardest of the hearts. The message of Saiva Siddhantha is the message for humanity, that liberation is achieved not by renouncing the world but by transforming it with love, humility, service, and devotion,” he said.

Speaking at the conference, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi said Saiva Agamas are profoundly philosophical and highly intellectual. The highest order of scholarship is required to understand and appreciate it. “It has illuminated the entire land of Bharat. Our great Tamil Saiva saints – Nayanars – did two revolutionary things. First, they preached Saiva Siddhantha in Tamil language, making it easily accessible to the common people. Another great contribution was they showed the path to Bhakti.”

Dharmapuram Adheenam 27th Guru Mahasannidhanam Sri-La-Sri Kayilai Masilamani Desika Gnansambandha Paramacharya Swamigal said over 300 research papers on Saiva Siddhantha are being published during the three-day international conference. Madurai Adheenam 293rd Guru Mahasannidhanam Sri-La-Sri Harihara Gnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigal and Kundrakudi Thiruvannamalai Adheenam 46th Guru Mahasannidhanam Kundrakudi Ponnambala Adigalar highlighted several aspects of Saiva Siddhantha and Tamil language.

Mr. Nadda also inaugurated SRM Institute of Cardiac Sciences and SRM Trauma and Emergency Care. In a message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi displayed during the conference, he said Tamil Nadu has long been a treasured repository of India’s spiritual wisdom and cultural brilliance. Historically, while Saiva Siddhantha has been popular from Kashmir to Southeast Asia, it is in Tamil Nadu that it truly attained great heights. Saiva Siddhantha has been a jewel of Tamil culture with its various beautiful works of spiritual literature and social contributions of various Aadheenams, he added.

T.R. Paarivendhar, Founder-Chancellor, SRMIST, P. Sathyanarayanan Pro-Chancellor (Academics), SRMIST, pontiffs of various mutts, Saiva saints and scholars, faculty and students were among others present.