Agastya was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. He is regarded in some traditions to be a Chiranjivi. He and his wife Lopamudra are the celebrated authors of hymns 1.165 to 1.191 in the Sanskrit text Rigveda and other Vedic literature.
The Siddhar in Tamil tradition is a perfected individual who has attained spiritual powers called siddhi.
Siddha is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of perfection of the intellect as well as liberation or enlightenment. In Jainism, the term is used to refer to the liberated souls. Siddha may also refer to one who has attained a siddhi, paranormal capabilities.
Gorakhnath was a Hindu yogi, saint who was the founder of the Nath Hindu monastic movement in India. He is considered one of the two disciples of Matsyendranath. His followers are known as Jogi, Gorakhnathi, Darshani or Kanphata.
Chennimalai is a town in Erode district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated away from Erode of about 28kms., Chenni which means Chief and Malai means Hill. It is popularly known as the 'Handloom Town'.
Siddha medicine is a form of traditional medicine originating in southern India. It is one of the oldest systems of medicine in India.
Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Murugan situated atop a hillock amidst the Palani Hills in Palani, Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu. It is one of the Six Abodes of Murugan. The temple is managed by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
Kalangi Nathar was an Indian ascetic who belonged to both the natha tradition of northern India and the siddha tradition of southern India. He was the guru of saint Bhogar and was born in Varanasi and belonged to the ancient tradition of nava (nine) nātha sadhus, tracing their tradition to Shiva.
Tamil mythology refers to the folklore and traditions that are a part of the wider Dravidian pantheon, originating from the Tamil people. This body of mythology is a fusion of elements from Dravidian culture and the parent Indus Valley culture, both of which have been syncretised with mainstream Hinduism.
Poombarai is a village in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
The Pothigai Hills, also known as Agasthiyar Mountain is a 1,866-metre (6,122 ft)-tall peak in the southern part of the Western Ghats or Sahyadri of South India. The peak lies in Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu near the border of Kerala.
Varma Kalai is a Tamil traditional art of vital points. It combines massage, alternative medicine, traditional yoga and martial arts in which the body's pressure points (varmam) are manipulated to heal or cause harm. The healing application called Vaidhiya Murai is part of Siddha medicine.
In the Siddhar tradition of Tamil Nadu, Korakkar is one of the 18 esteemed Siddhars of yore, and is better known as Gorakhnath in North India. Siddhar Agastya and Siddhar Bhogar were his gurus. There is a temple in Vadukku Poigainallur, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu which specifically houses his Jeeva Samadhi. According to one account, he spent much of his youth in the Velliangiri Mountains, Coimbatore.
Kaumaram is a Hindu denomination that primarily venerates the Hindu deity of war, Kartikeya, also known as Kumaran, Murugan, Arumugan, and Subrahmanyan. Devotees of Kumaran, called Kaumaras, also revere members of his family: Parvati, Shiva, and Ganesha, as well his consorts, Devasena and Sundaravalli, the daughters of Vishnu in Tamil tradition. The important theological texts relating to Kumara are a part of the Shaiva agama canon. This sub-tradition is found among the Tamils, Kannadigas, and the Vedda, in South India, Sri Lanka, and among the Tamil diaspora worldwide. The love story of Kumara/Murugan and his wife Valli, a girl from a local tribe, is popular in Tamil Nadu, where Kumara acquired the status of a national god.
Marshall Govindan is a Kriya Yogi, author, scholar and publisher of literary works related to classical Yoga and Tantra and teacher of Kriya Yoga. He is the President of Babaji's Kriya Yoga and Publications, Inc., and the President of Babaji's Kriya Yoga Order of Archaryas, a lay order of more than 25 Kriya Yoga teachers operating in more than 20 countries, and ashrams in St. Etienne de Bolton, Quebec, Bangalore, India, Colombo, and Sri Lanka.
Sri Kaagapujandar or Kakabhushundi is considered to be an eminent siddha in Siddhar tradition, a saint who has reached a particularly high degree of physical and spiritual perfection. According to legends he lived around the 7th century CE. The jeeva samadhi of Sri Kaagapujandar is located at the Sornapureeshwar Temple in Thenponparapi village, near Chinna salem, Villupuram District. His birth star is Ayilyam. Sri Kaagapujandar was mentioned by Karuvoorar and author K.S.Pillai as one of the 18 siddhars.
Thycaud Ayyavu Swamikal was a spiritualist and a social reformer, the first to break customs related to caste in Kerala when caste restrictions and untouchability were at its extreme.
Idumban is an asura in Hinduism, featured in Tamil mythology. Idumban is described to be a devotee of the deity Murugan (Kartikeya), regarded by adherents to be a guardian of the deity's temples in Tamil Nadu. He is also associated with the ritual practice of the Kavadi Aattam, in which his veneration is regarded to be a prerequisite.
Kuzhanthai Velappar Temple is a Hindu temple in the village of Poombarai near Kodaikanal in Dindigul.
Karuvurar was a sage or Siddhar from Karuvur in Tamil Nadu, India. There are 18 Siddhars popularly known in Tamil literature. He is the one among the 18 Siddhars. Believers describe Siddhars as having the "ability to perceive the higher cosmic movements in universe." They are described as experts in Yoga, alchemy, literature, and philosophy, and as having the ability to move their souls to and from the bodies of others.
