Within the Ayyavazhi tradition, the Ayya Vaikundar Swamigal Dharma Sangam serves as the central religious leadership, entrusted with safeguarding both doctrine and practice. It preserves the teachings and philosophy of Ayya Vaikundar, especially as expressed in the Akilattirattu Ammanai and related texts, and transmits them through teaching and religious discourse. By maintaining and interpreting these scriptures, the Sangam functions as a custodian of dharma, emphasizing righteousness, equality, and unity as guiding principles for the community. In this way, it holds together the spiritual vision of Ayyavazhi and ensures that the faith’s foundational insights remain living and authoritative rather than merely historical.

The Dharma Sangam also carries a clear liturgical and ritual responsibility. Its clergy conduct worship services and rituals at the Pathis and Nizhal Thangals, guide festivals and religious observances, and perform ceremonies such as naming, marriage, and funeral rites. Through these functions, they shape the rhythm of communal religious life and give concrete form to the teachings they preserve. Their role in leading worship and organizing festivals further reinforces a shared identity among devotees, binding them together around a common pattern of sacred practice.

Equally significant is the Sangam’s role in spiritual and ethical guidance. Members of this clergy offer counsel to devotees, helping them understand and apply Ayyavazhi teachings in the complexities of daily life. They provide moral instruction grounded in dharmic principles, mediate disputes within the community, and encourage a way of life that reflects social equality and unity. By addressing issues such as caste-based discrimination and fostering a sense of universal brotherhood, they extend the spiritual message of Ayyavazhi into the social sphere, allowing religious insight to become a force for transformation in communal relations.

Finally, the Dharma Sangam bears important administrative responsibilities that support and stabilize the religious community. It oversees the management of sacred centers, coordinates religious festivals and collective activities, and maintains the organizational structure of local institutions. This administrative dimension is not merely bureaucratic; it serves the deeper purpose of sustaining a coherent, dharma-centered community life. Through this combination of doctrinal stewardship, ritual leadership, spiritual counsel, and organizational care, the Ayya Vaikundar Swamigal Dharma Sangam stands as both the guardian and the living expression of Ayyavazhi’s vision of righteousness and unity.