What is the main purpose of religion? Religion is the entity that markets itself as the path to God. Many 'saints' and prophets market a religion and a path, as the only true religion and the only true path to God.
In such a world, Vallalaar (திருவருட் பிரகாச வள்ளலார்) aka Vadalur Ramalinga Adigalar (வடலூர் ராமலிங்க அடிகளார்) Swamigal was unique. He said that religion is not required for attaining the divine.
As a child, he was deeply spiritual. He would meditate a lot. (Meditation seems to be a recurring theme among the great saints of this world, who have really promoted the well-being of this world.) He was also deeply moved by Manikkavachakar's Thiruvasagam (chalk another divine soul attracted to Thiruvasagam). He famously was reading the Thiruvasagam on his first night after a forced marriage.
Later in his life, he was involved in spiritual preaching & practical social reforms. At one point, he said famously: "I opened a shop, no-one came to buy, I closed it" (கடை விரித்தேன், கொள்வார் இல்லை, கட்டி கொண்டேன்), implying that he came to teach people the spiritual path to the divine but no one was interested.
Then came his preaching that religion is not required for attaining the divine. In fact, it could be a barrier to attaining the truth. On the face of this, it could be surprising. However, when you really consider the core Hindu philosophical teachings, this is actually not surprising.
Hinduism says that the true identity of every person is the soul (Jivatma). The true identity is covered by several veils and attachments (created by us) that prevent us from knowing our true self. The only way to know your true self is through meditation, when all other desires are removed.
Isn't this a paradox then? If I'm meditating, am I not following Hinduism? If I have a desire to realize the divine, isn't that a desire itself? Yes, it is a paradox. But the Upanishads resolve this paradox using an analogy. A desire in the right direction is like a lamp that burns itself out. The path in the right direction (towards finding the true yourself) will eventually remove itself.
Vallalar would later call divinity as a light that blesses (அருட்பெருஞ் ஜோதி). He would open a temple that has a light that is always kept burning (symbolically representing divinity's ever present light). There are seven veils covering the light (implying the seven veils of the soul).
Vallalar was also a deeply compassionate person, who preached Ahimsa (No cruelty) & Jiva Kaarunya (compassion towards all beings) and was a staunch vegetarian. Indeed, in the practice of Yoga, the first Anga (limb) is Yama (control). One of the Yamas is Ahimsa. Over time, this has codified into Indian society. Even today, India has the largest vegetarian population in the world in numbers and in percentage, and even the people who eat meat don't eat a lot of it.
In his last Upanyasam (lecture), he requested everyone to make spiritual efforts through meditation, entered a room & locked himself. He asked followers not to open it and said that he would no longer be there. The room was forced open by the British Indian government after a few months and the room was empty, with no clues towards his disappearance.
Much later, the government issued a stamp with religious marks on his persona. His followers objected & filed a legal case, since he had spoken against the need for religion. However, they had missed his point. All beings are soul. Everything else is desire & attachment. The objection is the result of attachment. Attachment to their Guru's form, attachment to the non-religious comment, attachment against the religious mark on the persona. It is safe to say that his followers involved in this case were not truly following his teachings.
References:
Suki Sivam's upanyasam on Vallalar
Wikipedia
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