Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam

Arulmigu Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam is situated at Melmaruvathur, 92 km from Chennai (Formerly known as Madras) in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India. This is the place where 21 Siddhars (saints) men as well as women from different religion, had their Jeeva-Samadhis (meaning, where the Siddhars left their human forms behind, while they are still alive as holy spirits). Here in Melmaruvathur Adiparashakti Siddhar Peetam, the divine mother Adhi para sakthi transmigrates into Arulthiru Bangaru Adigalar thereby promoting spirituality and devotion.

Where the current temple's sanctum sanctorum stands today, there was only a neem tree in the 1960s. Unlike every other neem tree, which bear bitter tasting fruit, this tree secreted and dripped a sweet nectar. Residents of that village found that they had an urge in their mind to taste this nectar whenever they passed by this tree. Since many passers reported of curing their illness and diseases after tasting this nectar, the word spread swiftly to entire village and its neighborhood. So it became a customary for these villagers to take a drop of this nectar to ailing friends and relatives. They treated this as a medicinal tree and protected it from grazing cattle and wood cutters.

In 1966, a severe storm uprooted this neem tree, which exposed the Swayambu underneath to the villagers for the first time. Swayambu means A self emerging, naturally formed oval shaped object (carved of rock). People built a small hut on top of this Swayambu and conducted poojas (prayer rituals) to it.

This place is known as Siddhar Peetam (Siddhar in Tamil language means enlightened or evolved souls. Peetam means throne. Thus Siddhar Peetam means The Throne of Evolved Souls or Great Spiritual Masters/Gurus) where 21 Siddhars are laid in Jeeva Samaadhi.

Swayambu alone was worshipped for many years. The idol of Mother Adhi para sakthi was installed later in the sanctum sanctorum on November 25, 1977. The idol of beautiful Mother is three feet tall, seated on thousand-petal lotus seat, with her right leg folded and the left leg resting on the lotus petals. The thousand petal lotus has significance in meditation. In this idol form, She holds the bud of a lotus in her right hand, the mudhra (sign) of knowledge in her left hand and with her hair plait and knotted upwards like a crown.

The basic tenet of Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam is One Mother, One Humanity, means the whole human race is one and all the human beings who inhibit this vast earth are children of Mother Goddess and therefore there is no distinction amongst the human beings on any basis, be it religion, race, creed, community, caste or even gender at any Siddhar peetam. Amma has revolutionized the concept of spirituality by letting everybody irrespective of caste, creed, religion, language, nationality, social status, gender, education, etc., to enter the sanctum sanctorum and perform the daily rituals and prayers to the Mother AdhiParaSakthi. Women can enter the temple even during their menstrual cycle (which is prohibited in Hindu Temples) after taking bathe.

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Wikipedia