Tamilmanam International Research Journal of Tamil Studies

Mahakavi Subramania Bharathiar was not only the pioneer of the 20th-century Tamil literary renaissance but also a profound social reformer and feminist thinker. This article provides a detailed analysis of the methods of Goddess worship featured in Bharathiar's poems and the underlying feminist and social perspectives. Specifically, the songs composed during Bharathiar’s period of residence in Kadayam (1918-1920) regarding Goddesses Bhadrakali, Kalyani, and Muthumari are taken as the primary subjects of study.

Bharathi perceived woman as the manifestation of the Divine (Shakti); his proclamation, "Shakti is everywhere you look," reveals his unique vision of viewing universal energy as feminine power. This article explains, based on data, how Bharathi’s worship of female deities was not merely ritualistic but served as a tool for the abolition of caste and the liberation of women. Furthermore, it elaborates on the philosophical connections between his concept of the 'Modern Woman' (Pudhumai Penn) and the worship of Adi Shakti, as well as the spiritual transformation he underwent following his meeting with Sister Nivedita.