Perur Santhalinga Swamigal

'Santhalinga Swamigal (Santhalingam) was a Saiva spiritual writer in Perur, known as West-Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu. Santhalinga swamigal was born to a Tamil-speaking family. That village is called Perur in Tamil Nadu, South India into an orthodox Saiva Tamil family around the middle of the 17th century.

St.Santhalingar lived in Perur three hundred years ago. Perur is known as Chidambaram west. (The chidambaram East is in South Arcot Dt.) It is believed that he should have been born either in the "Nadu Nadu" or "Thondai Nadu" where the 'Vira Saiva' religion, was popular. From his very childhood he developed love to serve Lord Siva ascetics, to respect and revere the symbols of Siva, namely Vibuthi and Rudraksha. His company with holy people inducted him to perceive the vanity of the worldly things. He abhorred the idea of birth and rebirth. He under took a pilgrimage to all the holy cities where Lord Siva reigns supreme in search of a Guru who could initiate him in this birth ridding process.

Perur is sacred not only because it is one of the 'sivasthalams' of Kongunadu, but also because the Divine grace of Lord Siva is so immanent and perceptible that when Sundaramoorthy Nayanar, one of the four preceptors of Saivism, went to chidambaram to worship Lord Nataraja, he found there but the deity of Perur. He stays in this Thillaikkoil hymn. Hence it is no wonder that our St.Santhalinga Swamigal was also attracted by this holy city.

Sri-la-Sri. Sivagnana Balaya Swamigal II, the Head of the Bommaiya Adheenami was his contemporary, whose miraculous feats and wealth of -Sivagnanam- possessed wide popularity. St.Santhalinga Swamigal desired to see him, During his sojourn there, he got the acquaintance of Thuraimangalam Sivaprakasa Swamigal, a great seer, a Virasaiva saint, scholar and poet at Thiruvannamalai. St.Santhalinga Swamigal enjoyed the company of Siva Prakasar. Along with him, he went and stayed at Bommaiyapuram

With the blessings of St Sivagnana Balaysswamigal. St. Santhalingaswamigal married Gnanambikai She is the sister of Siva prakasa Swamigal, Velaiyar and Karunai Prakasar. His family life was in conformity with the maxim "If a man fulfilled aright the duties of the house-holder, where is the need for him to take up other duties?" His family life never stood in the way of his endeavours in realisation of Truth. By undaunted perseverance he rose to perfection. Pupils flocked around him to par take his teachings. One day when he spoke on total renunciation, condemning the love for transient worldly things, some of his reactionary students began to indulge in scandalising the verity of his speech. "Could it be possible for a man living with his wife to preach total renunciation, unless he be a hypocrite?" they doubted. Sensing their feelings, St.Santhalingar, seated his wife Mrs. Gnambikai on his lap and continued his teaching. To their utter bewilderment they saw Lord Neelkanta with his consort Gowri in the place of St.Santhalingar and his wife Gnanambikai. The pupils fell down instantaneously before Swamigal and apologised fervently for their mistake. Swamigal took pity on them and loved them more than before. After this incident he resolved to renounce the world thoroughly in its entirety and declared that he would set out for alms next day and that if he was served rice with milk at the very first house he approached, he would become a complete ascetic thenceforth. He was served rice with milk at the very first house he resorted to. From that moment he broke all his worldly attachment and renounced the world utterly.

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