There lived in Thirunelveli, Thiru Senthil Nayakampillai, a Saiva vellala. He was an official in Nerkattum Chevval Zamins. His wife was Pechimuthu Ammai. They gave birth to Dhandapani Swamigal on 28.11.1869. He was the first born and after three years he had a younger brother, Chithraputra pillai. Dhandapani swamigal was named as Sankaralingam first by his parents.
He was admitted in a village school and he was interested in learning. Unfortunately when he was seven he lost his father. One Sitarama Naidu, a friend of his father, taught swamigal the mantras.
He moved later to a village Surandai near Thenkasi, where lived his maternal aunt. The Goddess of that place was called Boomikathal (Saviour of earth). Swamigal composed a verse in venba metre. This was his first composition. He was 9yrs old then. He again went to Thirunelveli and was with Sitaram naidu for sometime. Due to some differences, swamigal left him. His devotion to Lord Muruga made people call him Murugadasar.
After sometime he went to valliyur mountain and wore ochre robe and became a swami. Nobody initiated him to renunciation. It so happened one day, when he went to Thirumalai a holy mountain, near Thirunelveli, Lord Muruga did not appear before him. Upset with this, Swamigal rolled down the mountain, but nothing happened seriously. He founded a Tamil School in Thirunelveli, and his brother Cithiraputhra pillai was one of the students. He arranged his brother’s marriage in these days.
There was an intuition inside swamigal. He was aware of a divine power guiding him. He has mentioned about the dreams and inner vistons in the ‘Guruparathathvam’, his autobiography. His fame began to spread. He was a Muruga devotee and Tamil Scholar par excellence.
 
In due course his birth name Sankaralingam was not in vogue. He was called as Dhandapani swamigal, because he was having stick (Dhandu) always: as Thiruppukazh Swamigal and as Vannaccarabam because of his mastery in composing, a different metre in Tamil verse.
Swamigal made a pilgrimage. He reached Chennai going through Madurai and Chidambaram. In Chennai he produced Kandakottathu Murugan Pillai Tamil. As was vogue in those days, great scholars like Kanchipuram Mahavidwan Sabapathy Mudaliar and Purisai Attavathanam Sabapathy Mudaliar were present and raised many questions. Swamigal answered all of them, to their satisfaction.
Then he went to Vellore. There a brahmin and a vellala argued with swamigal, saying that sanskrit is richer than any other language in the world and Tamil has no special greatness on its part. Swamigal continued his argument from evening to late midnight. There was no end, no conciliation and the two parties agreed to abide by the decision that comes by the divine Grace through a written bit of paper in front of the deity. There were seven such papers declaing each language is greater. Asmall girl was asked to pick up one among them. It was written on it that Tamil is the greatest of all languages. Vannaccharabam became emotional, he picked that paper and swallowed it. He composed a Tiruppukazh hailling the God as, You, the great one who gave the paper declaring Tamil is the richest. Also he composed ten verses hailing Tamil and a booklet of 100 verses Tamilalankaram. His work in his Grammar of six parts that he, who gets no anger, when someone declares that there is a language better than Tamil on this earth, is nothing but an ignorant Vidwan.
On his pilgrimage, he married one Sundarammal, the third daughter of puthuvai Velayutham Pillai and Thirumalaiamma in the sanctum of Mayilam Murugan temple garlanding her with a rudrasha. Then he reached Tirunelveli.
After many such journeys, he stayed at Tiruvamathur near Villupuram, taking a vow not to leave that place. He was with his family, blessed by a son Senthil nayakam pillai and a daughter Eswara vadivu. That blessed lineage still continues. Swamigal attained his samadhi on 05.07.1898 at his
 
age of 59. Daily prayer is still going on in his death place, which is maintained well by his posteriors, now his great grandson is the head of Thiruvamathur mutt.
The religious principles of Vannaccharabar.
The religious thoughts of Swamigal have to be studied deeply. His concept of Kaumara is not a symbol to denote Muruga worship. It is deep and extensive. He has written 12 books to explain his philosophy. They are not translations or derived from other books. They are original Tamil creations. Six of them have been printed. Even of these six, Kaumara Muraimai, Dhyana anubhuthi and Nanilai chatakam are known to very few. Others are :1. Kaumara Deepam 2. Kaumara Nool 3. Kaumara Lakari
4.    Kaumara Vinotham 5. Sathaka Unthi 6. Subramania Nool 7. Gnana Anthathi 8. Pathiga Unthi and 9. Pranava anubhuthi.
Vannaccarabar belongs to Kaumara sect, where the Chief worshipped God is Muruga. But in Philosophical approach he accepts the saiva siddhantha of Meykandar, to great extent and Advaita of Sankara in some places. The worshipped symbols of all six religions are the representation forms of the Absolute one, they are imaginary and one who worships any one form of these, worships the Absolute alone, which has no name or form for itself separately-These are his fundamental principles. Idol worship along with only one God belief and prayers incessantly will lead to higher state of Samarasam (Equality) and samayatheetham (State beyond religions). This is his staunch motto.
The real cause for the disturbances in the world, is having a conviction that, the God worshipped by one is greater than any other one. The Gods worshipped by others are false or low. Vannaccarabam Swamigal considered this as initial stage. This is not to be discarded. When one goes beyond this, doing worship, a matured stage will come and he will understand that there is only one God, which bestows Grace on all others too. He will not hate other religions too. This is samarasam(Equality).
With this view in mind, one has to study the concept of Kaumara as profounded by swamigal. This has to be spread among both the scholars and common people. ‘Devotion to one God : no hatred to others’ is a great ideal.