Chattampi Swami (1853-1924) was a unique social and religious reformer. His thoughts and work influenced the launching of many social, religious, literary and political organizations and movements in Kerala and for the first time gave voice to those who were marginalized. This book is an attempt to understand how the universe of his thought was shaped, how he elevated himself from the ordinary man to a scholar and reformer extraordinary, what values emerge as we study the course of his life, what relation these values have to the life of the common people, what his teaching is, and how much of it is timeless and eternal. Chattampi Swami: An Intellectual Biography adds new dimensions to our understanding of the extraordinary figure of the late nineteenth century renaissance in India. Documenting the aspects neglected by earlier biographers the authors make a remarkable contribution to our understanding of the man behind the myth.