Draft:Meivazhi Salai Aandavargal

Brahma Prakasa Meivazhi Salai Aandavargal (Tamil: பிரம்ம பிரகாச மெய்வழி சாலை ஆண்டவர்கள், pronounced: Piram'ma pirakāca meyvaḻi cālai āṇṭavarkaḷ), also known as "Salai Andavargal", is the founder of the Meivazhi Salai (Road of True Life) religion. His birth name is Kader Badsha Rowther. Although, born in a Muslim family, he had renounced earthly life, and became a disciple of a Sage named Shri Thanigai Manipiran (Also known as Mohamed Saligh and as Paattaiyar) to attain spiritual enlightenment. Eventually, he founded the first Meivazhi Sabha in Rajagambiram, Sivaganga district, where he preached the philosophy of oneness of all religion. He was forced to flee Rajagambiram due to persecution. He had subsequently established the second Meivazhi Sabha at Tiruppattur.

One of the earliest accounts of a meeting with Salai Andavargal in his erstwhile Tiruppattur Ashram, has been narrated in a Book titled 'Glimpses of Chettimarnad' published in 1937 by R.J. Ram & Company, Triplicane High Road, Madras, authored by a famous chronicler named Nilkan Perumal, who had mistakenly entered the Pudukkottai State during his tour of the Chettinad region.

He had written Four volumes of scriptures called 'Grantham', containing prayers and revelations, which are recited by his followers everyday at the Temple in Meivazhi Salai.

=Early Life=

His birth name is Khader Badsha Rowther. He was born in 1857 at Markhampetti, a village in Oddanchatram Taluk, Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu in a Muslim Family. His father being Jamal Hussain Rowther and mother Periya Thayi. He had his primary education from a teacher who conducted a school under a banyan tree in his home village. His early life experiences are narrated in the book "Aadhi Maanmiyam (Tamil: ஆதி மாண்மியம்)", written by himself, which is considered as sacred, by the followers of the Meivazhi religion.

==Spiritual Journey==

As a Muslim, he was well-versed with Qur'an. His spiritual curiosity was first awakened, when his primary school teacher, who was very kind to him, suddenly passed away and he was shocked about the uncertainty of life. In his quest for finding the truth about life after death, he went after prophets and preachers. He had sought the guidance of orange-robed sanyasins, the black-robed bearded fakirs and the Gospel-preaching Christian missionaries to show him the correct way for salvation. However, he realized soon that most people were pretending to be saints for the sake of livelihood.

At the age of 18, he was married to Suleka Bivi. With the blessings of his parents, he migrated to Kasukkaranpalayam, a village in Perundurai taluk, Erode in Tamil Nadu and established himself as a wholesale paddy merchant. He had a daughter named Aisuamma.

==Meeting with his Guru==

At the age of 26, when Salai Andavargal had almost given up on spirituality, he met an elderly person by coincidence, whom he invited to his Paddy shop. During conversation, Salai Andavargal realized that the elderly person was no ordinary person and was a spiritual master. The elderly person was Shri Thanigai Manipiran (Also known as Mohamed Saligh and as Paattaiyar), who was stated to be more than 600 years old. Eventually, Salai Andavargal became a disciple of Shri Thanigai Manipiran.

(to be continued)