Public Theology, Private Devotion: the Making of the Smarta Tradition in South India

The Smārta Śaiva tradition, otherwise known as Tamil Brahminism, is one example of an emergent religious community that constituted itself as a distinct tradition during a period of rapid sectarianization. Taking the Smārta Śaiva community as a case study, I aim to demonstrate that during the early modern period, there emerged a gulf between private sentiment and public speech that marks a crucial shift in Hindu religiosity.