Bold and Forthright: Mapping the Evolution of Tirumaḻicai Āḻvār and His Irreverent Voice:Mapping the evolution of tiruMaLicai ĀLvĀr and his irreverent voice

The article is dedicated to Tirumalicai Ālvār (ca. 7^th c.), who is one of the early Ālvārs, Tamil saint-poets devoted to Visnu (ca. 6^th–9^th c. CE). He was a younger contemporary of Pēy, Poykai, and Pūtam. In contrast to them, Tirumalicai’s temperament is feisty, as he has little patience for people who differ from his views, and can be utterly provocative towards anyone. He is also very different from most of his successors like Periyālvār or Nammālvār, in the sense that his poetry is not overly emotional, with no heart-rending or pleading nor excessive joy, since his is a more intellectual kind of bhakti. His two works, namely, the Nānmukan Tiruvantāti and the Tiruccantaviruttam, bear testimony to that fact. His is a unique voice that deserves to be studied in some depth, which this article only begins to do. The focus of the article is the irreverent verses by Tirumalicai to understand the poet who produced them. Who was Tirumalicai, especially in terms of his background and his character? Why were his verses termed “controversial”? Who was the target of his irreverence? And who inspired his poetry? Does he follow the norms and the examples set by his predecessors, e.g. the Cankam poets and the other bhakti poets or does he break away from them? In what ways? And how has his voice survived throughout the centuries? Did it undergo a transformation that guaranteed its survival or did it remain intact? These are some questions dealt with in this article to make sense of the poet and his poetry. In order to gain a better understanding of his poetry, the article first introduces Tirumalicai based on his own words, supplying historical information whenever possible and/or necessary. Then there is a transition to his irreverent verses that bring out his bold voice loud and clear. And finally, a study of how his voice was transmitted in the centuries following his existence, and how it evolved in order to adapt itself to the needs and ideas of the Śrīvaisnava scholars.