Sathuragiri Hills Shiva Temple

Tamil Nadu is renowned as the land of the Siddhars or Shaivite saints. It is believed that there were 18 Siddhars who acquired the name of Siddhars due to their yogic powers or Siddhis. ‘Siddha’ in Sanskrit means ‘the perfected one’. It refers to holy men or masters who have attained a remarkable degree of physical and spiritual perfection. In Jainism, the word describes liberated souls. Siddha also refers to someone who has paranormal abilities. Siddhars are supposedly immortal and believed to exist among us even now. As per Hindu theology, Siddhashrama is a secret and mystical land deep in the Himalayas. Great yogis, sadhus, and sages who are Siddhas supposedly reside here. It is a concept that is similar to the Tibetan mystical land of Shambhala.

Sathuragiri Hills is a famous pilgrimage destination for Shaivites in Tamil Nadu and neighboring states. It is around 15 km from Watrap or Vathirayiruppu village near Srivilliputhur. Here, one can find a Shiva Temple that is surrounded by mountains. Locals claim that the hill is the abode of Shiva and the Siddha saints, who are his devotees. So it is also known as Siddhargal Bhoomi or the land of the Siddhas. The Siddhas are still believed to exist here in the Sathuragiri Hills, and they can, at times, appear to people who make the trek to the hill, according to many travelers.

“Sathuragiri” comes from two words, ‘Sathuram’ and ‘giri’. The former means ‘4,’ and the latter ‘hill’. The Shiva Purana claims that it is “the place where all the 4 Vedas met and became one”. Some also believe that the name came about as the hill is square (Chathuram) in shape.

At the foothills, there are temples for Mahakali Amma, Vinayagar, Paechi Amman, Vana Durgai Amman, and Karuppaswamy. The Siddhars supposedly installed the idols of Paechi Amman and Pilavadi Karuppaswamy in Thaanipaarai. While Pilavadi Karuppaswamy and Mahakali Amman are the guardians of the hills, Vana Durgai Amman is the guardian of the Sundara Mahalingam Temple. There are 2 Shiva Lingams in 2 caves in Kora Kunda (Gorakkar Cave), which is on the way to the hill.

Legend of Sathuragiri Hills

Local legend says that Shiva came to the temple one day in the guise of a Shivanadiyar or Shiva devotee and began a conversation with the priest. The priest told Shiva that the temple was quite ancient and that it was owned by a landlord. But Shiva laughed and claimed that he was the owner of the temple and the land on which it stood. Shiva also told the priest to take all the land that he wanted. The priest, who was rather skeptical of the visitor’s claims, replied, “I will blow a conch, and the area covered by its sound will be a part of the temple”. So, the area covered by the conch’s sound became the temple property.

The hill has 3 main temples – Sundara Mahalinga Swamy Temple, Santhana Mahalinga Swamy Temple, and Anandavalli Amma Temple. The first two are more than 2500 years old.

Another legend talks about the hoof marks of a cow that are found during the trek to the hill. It is said that a devotee once lost his way in the wilderness and became confused. Shiva saw this and sent the divine cow, Kamadhenu, to help the man find his way. Kamadhenu came before him and guided him to the temple. Then the divine cow vanished, but not before leaving an imprint of its hooves on the ground, which are visible even now. Visitors also worship them.

The Irattai Mahalingam

In another cave, one can find 2 lingams or the Irattai (twin) Mahalingam. It is a self-manifested or Swayambhu Lingam that emerged from the earth.

There is an interesting story about this lingam. Once, there lived a couple, who led a happy life, but had differences about one issue. The husband was a devotee of Shiva devotee, while the wife worshipped Vishnu. They often had arguments about which of the 2 gods was mightier. Even learned scholars could not agree on this. Finally, they began to do penance to find the answer and came to Sathuragiri Hills.

Here, Shiva gave darshan to the husband, who then told his wife that Shiva was more powerful. The wife was upset and told Shiva that she wanted to get the darshan of Vishnu. Shiva then appeared as Vishnu to prove that all Gods are one. Before he vanished, Shiva appeared as Shankara Narayana (Shiva and Vishnu in one form) and then took the form of Irattai Swayambhu (Shiva and Hari).Lingam. Rama Devar Siddhar supposedly worshipped this lingam.

The Story of Sundara Murthy Swami

Famous Siddhars like Agastyar and Sundaranandar are said to have worshipped the Sundara Murthy Swami Lingam (Anidai Lingam). A legend says that Shiva went around the Universe, looking for a priest to perform the rituals of worship in his temple. He kept saying, “Solvar Undu, Kaetpar illai” (there is someone to say, but no one to listen). Eventually, he heard a voice saying “Kaetpar Undu, Solvar Illai” (which means 'there is a person to listen, but no one to say') in a village. It was a three-year-old child. The pleased Shiva took the child to the hills and anointed him as Sundara Murthy Swami, the official representative of Sundara Mahalingam (Shiva) who makes sure that the prayers of devotees reach Shiva and are answered.

An Unforgettable Experience

Sathuragiri Hills offers a rewarding experience for the spiritually inclined as well as nature and adventure lovers. Many visitors have described the mystical experiences they had on the way to the hills, which include encounters with Siddhars in various guises, human and animal, who appeared to guide them. Those who visited the hills claim that even if one is not a spiritual aspirant (Sadhak), one can experience the divine here. Some also say that they got a mysterious inner ‘call’ to make the trip to the hills. Whether one succeeds in making it to the hills is also not within one’s control.

Sathuragiri Hills is also a favorite trekking destination. The trek to the hills takes one through dense forests, lush vegetation, and cool streams and offers spectacular views of the Western Ghats. But it is not without its risks, as there are also sharp rocks, deep drops, steep climbs, slippery boulders, and narrow paths to negotiate on the way up Sathuragiri hill is surrounded by other hills on all sides, and one has to cross 7 hills to reach it. There is no doubt that whatever lures you to undertake this journey to Sathuragiri hills – the call of the spirit or adventure – you are in for a truly unforgettable experience.