Within the Ayyavazhi tradition, Ayya Vaikundar stands as the central and supreme divine figure, the living axis around which its theology, practice, and communal life revolve. He is revered as the incarnation of Narayana (Vishnu), understood not merely as one avatar among many, but as the decisive descent of the supreme deity in the present age. His advent is portrayed as the culminating divine intervention narrated in the Akilattirattu Ammanai, the primary scripture of Ayyavazhi, which presents his life and mission as the turning point in the cosmic drama. All worship in this tradition is ultimately directed to him, and the main center of devotion, Swamithope Pathi, is dedicated to his presence and deeds.

The role attributed to Ayya Vaikundar is at once cosmic, ethical, and social. Theologically, he is seen as the one who comes to destroy the power of Kali Yuga, the age of moral decline and darkness, and to inaugurate Dharma Yukam or Dharma Yuga, a new order grounded in righteousness. This is not framed merely as a distant eschatological hope, but as a transformative process already set in motion through his incarnation, teachings, and community formation. In this sense, Vaikundar embodies both the judge of the old age and the herald of the new, the one who brings an end to the reign of evil and opens the way for a just world.

At the level of lived religion, Ayya Vaikundar functions as founder, law-giver, and reformer. He is regarded as the source of the distinctive teachings and practices of Ayyavazhi, emphasizing inner devotion, moral conduct, and social equality over ritual formalism. His mission is remembered as a direct challenge to social oppression, especially caste-based discrimination and the religious and political structures that upheld it. By opposing such hierarchies and working for the uplift of the oppressed, he is seen as a social revolutionary whose spiritual authority is inseparable from a demand for justice.

The scriptural and devotional traditions surrounding Vaikundar deepen this multi-layered role. The Akilattirattu Ammanai offers the grand narrative within which his incarnation is interpreted, while texts such as the Arul Nool preserve teachings, rules, and ritual instructions associated with him. Festivals, observances, and the network of worship centers all take their meaning from his life-events and commands, so that the community’s rhythm of time itself is patterned around his story. Through this, Ayya Vaikundar is experienced not only as a figure of the past, but as the abiding divine presence guiding Ayyavazhi toward the realization of Dharma Yukam.