Who are Siddhars?

- Taken from the Essay “Siddhars and their Related Temples”

Pathinen Siddhars are living in 108 'Thirupathi Andams', 243 'Satthi Andams' and 1008 'Siva Andams' in the vast Celestial Space. These Pathinen Siddhars came to this earth when it was in stone form but without soil. They are known on this earth as 'Mula Pathinen Siddhars'. The details about these 'Mula Pathinen Siddhars' are maintained as Secrets.

Apart from them, there are 'Anaathi Pathinen Siddhars', 'Aathi Pathinen Siddhars', 'Paathi Pathinen Siddhars', 'Meethi Pathinen Siddhars', 'Pathinen Siddhars of 1st Yugam', 'Pathinen Siddhars of 2nd Yugam', 'Pathinen Siddhars of 3rd Yugam', 'Pathinen Siddhars of 4th Yugam'. These lists exist in text-books known as Guru Paarampariyam, Ilakkiya Paarampariyam and Arasa Paarampariyam.

Apart from this 10th Pathinen Siddhar Peedaathipathi [100 BC to 150 AD] Gurumahaasannidhaanam, Gnaalaguru Siddhar Amaraavathi Atrangarai Karu Ooraar gives more than 34 lists of each containing 18 names of Pathinen Siddhars mentioned as 'Pathinen Siddhars of Kali Yugam'. (Gurudevar, 12th Pathinen Siddhar Peedaathipathi, the author of this essay, wishes to mention that He could not recollect correctly whether that list contains 34 or 36 or more due to work pressure and reduced memory power.)

After 10th Peedam, His Holiness 11th Pathinen Siddhar Peedaathipathi Gurumahaasannidhaanam Gnaalaguru Siddhar Kaaviriyaatrangarai Karu Ooraar writes very clearly in His Gurupaarampariyam about the Pathinen Siddhars who lived after 10th Peedam. He gives more than 9 such Pathinen Siddhars list and says that due to the continuous efforts of these Pathinen Siddhars only the true Indhuism remains protected to a greater extent inspite of the dangerous efforts of North Aryans and the dangerous illness of Aryan's Vedic Religion and the huge fire of Samaskrutham (Sanskrit);

This means, inspite of all these three evils and ills, the True Indhuism of Siddhars lives healthily without any damage. In each of the lists prepared by His Holiness there are exactly eighteen names of Siddhars. Apart from this, His Holiness 11th Peedam notes more than 40 names of Pathinen Siddhars who have attained Samadhi in various Temple Sanctum Sanctorums, when describing about His Temple Rejuvenation Services. But many of these names do not appear to be pure Tamil words.

In addition to these names, in His Holiness' Gurupaarampariyam one can find two or three lists of Pathinen Siddhars who lived during His period 785 AD to 1040 AD. His Holiness' son Karuvur Thevar and grandson Thirumaalikai Thevar also mentioned about the Pathinen Siddhars who lived during their periods respectively. This comes to more than 4 lists.

After their period, i.e. after 1182 AD, one can find out around eight lists of Pathinen Sddhars. This last group of names does not look alright, because the written works of Pathinensiddhar Peedaathipathi's direct descendants were not properly maintained during the last 800 years.

Further, the religious-minded people have created confusion by wrongly calling all ordinary people who work in the divine field as Siddhars. This means, miracle-performers, magicians, temple-priests, fore-tellers, witchcraftsmen, ... were all given the title Siddhars wrongly. Due to this tendency, this mistake had become a tradition after 12th century.

The Siddhars who emanated in the later periods remained largely away from common public. Tamil language was so much dominated by Samaskrutham that even PathinenSiddhars could not explain in detail to the public about their literature and make their literature live in the Society. Tamils also did not have attachment to their mother tongue and mother land; they lived without unity and started serving as slaves to the foreigners for the sake of money and fame.

The Siddhars cultivated all their Divine seeds using the Universally ruling Divine Tamil Language and grew the plants of Divinity. So, the Divine Tamil language has been used by the Siddhars fully as water and fertiliser for the plants of Divinity. This theory must be deeply, clearly and elaborately understood by the reader.

Because of this enslavement, when the Tamils lost interest, capability and capacity in protecting the Tamil language's motherhood, rights, pride, kingly status and divine usage in temples; the Siddhars also did not want to tell anything to Tamils or do anything for Tamils. Therefore, the Siddhars lived without leading a public life.

This statement was found without any change in the book “Moovar Thotram” (The incarnation of the Great Three, namely 11th Pathinen Siddhar Peedaathipathi, His son Karuvur Thevar and His grandson Thirumaalikai Thevar) as well as in the books “Thamizh Vidu Thoothu” (The Message from Tamil) and “History of Santhaanaachaariyaars”. So, one can understand that this statement was a well-known and well-respected one amongst learned scholars in Tamilnadu.

In the Divine World, there is a long-standing statement which says

'Dead are those who could not distinguish Siddhars from other ordinary performers'.

This statement vehemently opposes the trend of calling all divine-power exhibiting people as Siddhars. So, there happened to be a continuous opposition movement against the people's tendency to call every divinator as Siddhar. Since there was not any significant success for this movement, Siddhars took the course of moving away from the public. That is why we commonly hear statements like

“Siddhars lived in forests only because they could not correct the society”,

“Siddhars would always lead a life not known to public”,

Because the Tamil language did not have due status in Tamilnadu itself, many Siddhars wrote,

“How can one speak about philosophy when he does not know Tamil language”, “How one can acquire divine capabilities without learning Tamil language?”, “How can a Temple function as a Temple when there is no sound of Tamil words in its Sanctum Sanctorum?”.

Tamils have acquired slavish tendencies in excess by respecting unduly the foreign languages, foreign races and foreign people even inside their own Tamil land. Many Pathinen Siddhars and 48 types of Siddhars have openly expressed their concern about Tamils' slavishness and wrote a lot of verses on this.

Inspite of the best efforts put in by these Siddhars to correct the Tamils, they did not succeed at all. Due to this, the Siddhars who took birth after the period of Santhaanaachaariyaars started collecting all Tamil Divine Scriptures through Saiva Religious Mutts; These Tamil scriptures were classified and preserved in these Mutts to maintain Tamil's growth.

At the sametime, they left the work on the 48 types of Places of Worship to the Pathinen Siddhar Peedaathipathis. Yet, they have written about the names of Siddhars who attained Samadhi in various Temples of India.

This list gives about the Siddhars who attained samadhi in Madurai, Kasi, Tirupathi, Tirunelveli, Kumbakonam, Chithamparam, Papanasam, Thiruvarangam (Srirangam), Kanchipuram, Thirukaalathi (Kalahasthi), Tirupparangunram, and so on.

1. Madurai:- Goddesses in seven different age groups named as Meenaatchi, Angayarkanni, Sokki; Angayarkannar, Sundarananda, Kamalamuni, Bhogaamuni, Moghamuni, etc.
2. Thirunelveli:- GandhiMadhi Ammans of Seven different age groups, Nellaiyappars who have not got married, Nellaiyappars who have got married, Agathiyar, Pulathiyar, Pothiyaar, Buddhar, etc.
3. Papanasam:- Pulathiyar, Purikkannar, Sattainaathar, Maayon, Iyaman, etc.
4. Kumbakonam:- Kumbamuni, Theraiyar, Singaiyar, Karadiyaar, Kulatthi Thaamaraiyaal, etc.
5. Chithamparam:- Thirumular, Pulippaani, Pathanjali, Viyaasar, Nandhi, Paampa Kuthirai mugathaar, Nediyaal, Poovirundhavalli, Mayili, etc.
6. Thirupathi:- Konganar, Vasittar, Visuvamithirar, Kalaikkottu Muni, Moongkiladiyaar, Megamotti, Kuberan, Ponnudaiyaal, Poovazhagi, Azagarasi, Auvai, Murugan, Valli, Theyvaanai, Paampaatti, etc.
7. Thiruvarangam:- Sattaimuni, Machamuni, Kamalamuni, Kaalaangi, Boghar, Thittaiyaar, Perundevi, Mannudaiyaal, Vaavarasi, Auvaiyaar, Naathaangi, Thanvanthiri, Kannadevan, Balaraman, Kaasipar, Barathuvaasar, Thumbaimuni, Odaiselvi, Sangathaal, Mukkadaludaiyaal, etc.
8. Azhagarmalai:- Murugan, Valli, Theyvaanai, Ramadevar, Visuvaamithirar, Korakkar, Maangaayar, Thekkudaiyaar, Paaraiyaar, Malairaasan, Muthazhagi, Poomaalai, Vettachi, etc.
9. Kaasi:- Nandhi, Visuvamithirar, Vasittar, Paraandhagan, Paraandhagi, Visumbalandhaan, Visumbalandhaal, Kabaaleesuvaran, Kabaaleesuvari, Agappeey Siddhar, Marakkaay Siddhar, Idaikkaadar, Kaduveli Siddhar, Venpani Siddhar, Mudakku Siddhar, Navanaatha Siddhar, Mogini, Idaagini, Iyakki, Thirisooli, etc.
10. Kanchipuram:- Kaduveli Siddhar, Vettaveli Siddhar, Erukkampoo Siddhar, Agathiyar, Pulathiyar, Naarathar, Iyavaal, Kuberan, Kaamaatchi, Bairavi, Megalai, Kotravai, Kaadukizhaal, etc.
11. Thirupparankunram:- Machamuni, Bhoganaathar, Yoganaathar, Oaganaathar, Koothapiraan, Murugan, Valli, Theyvaanai, Kaathavaraayan, Bairavan, Annapoorani, Mogini, Idaagini, Pidaari, Thaadagai piraatti, Poonthaliraal, Piraman, Thirumaal, etc.
12. Thirukalatthi:- Vedan Kannappar, Karuvurar, Piraman, Kuberan, Vaayu, Navanaatha Siddhar, Navakodi Siddhar, Azhagu Naachiyaar, Angaalamman, Kaaliyamman, etc.

We stop this list for the sake of brevity.

//Translation from the essay titled as “சித்தர்களும் அவர்களின் தொடர்பான கருவறைகளும்”, written by His Holiness Siddhar Arasayogi Karuvooraar, the 12th Pathinensiddhar Peedaathipathi.

---