Thursday, 5 December 2024

SAINTS & MALAYA

The Star Online carried the message of the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, underlining Malaysia’s multiracial and multireligious communities.

“I have consistently reminded the people of Selangor about the importance of unity and respect for one another’s faiths. Islam is the official religion in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, but the rights of all races and religions to practice are enshrined in the Constitution,” the Sultan added. His Royal Highness also expressed pride in Klang’s diverse heritage, which includes numerous temples, churches, and mosques in close proximity. “We have many religious sites in Klang. I want to ensure that the areas remain harmonious. There are mosques, Chinese and Hindu temples, Indian Muslim places of worship, and now even a Chinese Muslim mosque. There is harmony in these areas, which reflects our acceptance of different religions within the state,” said Sultan Sharafuddin.

We are a blessed nation in every way. If we have people of different faiths practicing their beliefs and religions, similarly Malaysia is a haven for food of various ethnic origins. It provides shelter for citizens and also foreigners wanting to make a living. 

Avadaiyappa Chettiar, son of Narayanan Chettiar & Valliammai, daughter of Ramasamy

My father who was from the money lender clan, the Chettiars in Sivagangai, Tamilnadu, did venture into running a theatre back then in India. Like many Chettiars, who "with the growth of British colonial rule in Southeast Asia, emigrated from India to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Burma (now Myanmar) and Malaya (now Malaysia) as the British expanded their presence in the region"1, made his way to Burma, Sri Lanka, and Singapore to finally settle in then Malaya. He married my mother who was born and raised here. Together they raised us, giving us food, shelter, clothing, and education, and passed on their beliefs, faith, culture, and tradition. We are grateful to them and this nation that has accommodated us well all these years. 

I was always proud of my father for his courage to travel far in the years when the only means of travel was by foot, horsecart, bullock cart, and ship. I wonder at times if I could have performed the same feat. When he had traveled far and wide, from his village Kilasevalpatti, Sivagangai to Rangoon in Burma, and sailed to Sri Lanka and later came to Singapore before making Malaya his second home, I never ventured out of my house nor traveled away from home. My maiden travel to India too came by and materialized because Agathiyar gave me a nudge through my Nadi reading. 

I used to wonder how my parents raised me and my other six siblings in those years before independence and the post-independent period. Money and food were scarce, yet they raised all of us well, giving us all an education, a roof above our heads, and meals too. My late father never shared his story and his ties with his family in India. However, I went in search of his village home in the hope of meeting my relatives on Indian soil during my maiden journey to India in 2003. But for some reason, it did not materialize even as I stood on the street where he played and grew up, even as I stood at the door of his ancestral home in Kilasevalpatti. I came to know from a relative a few doors away that the whole family of my late father was gathered at the home of my cousin who had passed away the previous night. I could have met all of them but as I was on a pilgrimage of temples listed out by Agathiyar and the highlight of it being my circumambulation or girivalam of Annamalaiyaar of Tiruvannamalai the next day, I had to shelve my wish to step into the ancestral home of my father. I just took some photographs of the exterior of his home and the street and left.

We were amazed to see the speed and accuracy with which my father used to calculate, without any external aid, all done mentally and verbally. I wish I could have excelled like him in arithmetics too. Having purchased properties and assets, life was promising until the war came. When a string of machine gunshots from a Japanese fighter plane missed my father by inches, he realized that moment that all the wealth and money he had could not possibly bring him alive if he had been hit by a stray bullet. When the British came back, life picked up and he renewed his profession, continuing with his charity. We believe that all the merits gained in doing charity must have saved him that day and are saving us to this day.

Then one day, he took a drastic decision, keeping us all in the dark. He left home in 1968 without informing anyone. We only knew after his return home many years later that he had been living at an ashram in India. We were too young to even enquire about his missing years. My father who wanted to remain in the ashram and serve the master was sent back to Malaysia to fulfill his remaining responsibilities towards his family by his guru. After returning to Malaysia, he did not return home immediately though but served as a priest in a temple in Tampoi, Johore. When he had a stroke, he was forced to return home. After seven years of absence, he came back to us. I remember how he used to pick up a pencil or pen and would try to hold it in his hand and begin to write daily. He would practice and keep on practicing until he could hold and write steadily. He recovered fully from his stroke. He would keep to himself exchanging only a few words with others; hardly left home except to go to the Kittangi to update himself on news from his hometown from fellow Chettiars. His younger brother who was residing in Malaysia too, having married a local Chinese, and who was operating a driving school, was his constant companion till his last days. My father’s final moments were amazing as we reflect upon it now. We guess he knew his time was up, as he who always did his own chores asked for his shirt to be ironed and asked for a cup of coffee from my mother. When my mother returned with the hot coffee he was not in his usual seat but was seated cross-legged on the floor in the opposite end of the living room. His eyes were open but the pupil gazed up. When my mother reached for his legs that were tugged neatly, deep, and close to his body, he toppled over, his head resting on my mother's lap. The paramedic on arrival, declared that he had passed away. We buried him. He was 76 then in 1991. I have to thank my father for taking the great risk of venturing into a new land and making it his home. This is a wonderful country, a country that Agathiyar calls Sukra (Venus) Bumi, or Bhoga Naadu, where milk and honey flow. 

Just as Ramajayam told me that he only realized what a great saint his father Supramania Swami was only after his demise, now that I have traveled a short distance on the spiritual path, I realize that my father was no ordinary soul too. I can imagine how we would react in the face of approaching death and here my father faced death calmly, taking up a spot in the corner of the home, sitting in Padmasana, and bringing his gaze up to his Sahasrara Chakra. He was not ill, and neither did he suffer. He did not have the fear of death, was not complaining, was not crying in pain, nor was he gasping for air. It all happened within minutes. We are grateful to the divine for making his departure easy. My mother too at her deathbed told us that she was going to "sleep". Soon she passed away. She too like my father was not ill, and neither did she suffer. She had only complained of stomach pain earlier. She did not have the fear of death and requested to be burned in a funeral pyre, and prepared the money to see through her last rites. She was not complaining, neither was she crying in pain nor was she gasping for air though she was administered oxygen. It all happened within a couple of days. 

Read about others who made Malaya their home at

Siddha Heartbeat: THAMBOOSAMY PILLAY IN MALAYA

Among the many individuals who set foot on this soil in the past were those who became saints later. Tavayogi shared with us a concise and detailed account of his Paramaguru Jeganatha Swamigal, which was passed on to him by his guru Chitramuthu Adigal who was a disciple of Jeganatha Swamigal. 

Jegantha Swamigal 

Jegantha Swamigal who was from Puri near Calcutta, India followed Ramalinga Adigal’s principles. He was born in 1814, nine years before the birth of Ramalinga Adigal. At the age of eighteen, he left for Chittagong in Burma. Later at thirty, he came down to Malaya through Thailand. He lived in Alor Star (now Alor Setar) and the island paradise Langkawi in North Malaya. Later he lived in Baling for eight years where he captured the attention of the locals there who saw him as a spiritual man and began to address him as Swamiji. He then went on a pilgrimage to Singapore. En route, he stopped at Taiping, where he was mistaken as a spy by the Burmese security forces loyal to the British in Malaya and put behind bars. Surprisingly he was released the next day without any interrogation. Arriving at Seremban later, people there began to take notice of his spiritual nature. Returning from Singapore, he worked as a brakeman in the Malayan Railways. He was based in Tanjong Malim for four years. He stayed at Teluk Anson (now Teluk Intan) later where he undertook charity and fed the poor. Eventually, he settled for good in Tapah where he built a hut for himself adjacent to a Chinese graveyard and continued his Sadhana and Tapas or austerity here. Jeganatha Swamigal purchased three acres of rubber land in the vicinity and allowed the locals to build their homes on his land. He lived a simple life never making himself or his powers known to others. According to "Hinduism Today," he lived in Tapah for some 78 years. He lived alone till his Samadhi at 4.30 am on 25 January 1959.  A Siva lingam was installed above his Samadhi. The locals collected funds to build a Siva Temple. In 1980, N. Arumugam Pillai of Penang built a small hall. Later in 1990, A.V. Pasupathy Pillai of Malacca renovated the Siva temple. Most recently the Malaysian Hindu Sangam renovated and rebuilt the temple. Jeganatha Swamigal is said to have lived for 145 years. He had three disciples: Chitramuthu Adigal from Panaikulam, India; Veemavar from Indonesia, and Sathyananthar of Sudha Samajam, Malaya.

When Mahindren's wife was asked to visit Jeganatha Swamigal's temple in a Nadi reading by Agathiyar that was read by the visiting Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar in July of 2022, they invited me to tag along. Jeganatha Swamigal came to usher both Mahindren and Manimala and the kids, telling them that he was waiting for their arrival, and was glad that the couple had abided by Agathiyar's instructions to come over. When we crossed over to a Siva temple mentioned by Mataji who had visited it earlier, located inside the Tapah Hospital compound some distance away, where Jeganatha Swamigal had worshipped, Jeganatha Swami came again, this time with a message for me.

Chitramuthu Adigal

Chitramuthu Adigal was born in 1900 in Panaikulam in Ramanathapuram. Before his father Dhankodi Naadaar of Marikovil in Panaikulam village left for Malaya he placed Muthu under the care of Muthu's step-mother. He was twelve then. He worked as a toddy tapper in Atthiyutthu. Muthu left India for Malaya in 1922. He stayed in Kuala Kangsar, Perak working as a toddy tapper for six years before returning to India in 1928. He married the following year and had a child in 1930 who survived only for three days. He came again to Malaya and stayed in Taiping, Perak. He went back to tapping toddy. This was when he met Jeganatha Swamigal and Jeganathar took him as his disciple and gave him the name Chitramuthu. In 1940 he took on the role of a spiritual teacher and returned to Malaya to spread his teachings. He had a short stint with the Indian National Army (INA) in Malaya before he returned to India in 1947, leaving behind a large following who had begun to regard him as their Guru. In India, he preached compassion towards other beings or Jeeva Karunya as upheld by Ramalinga Adigal. He opened up his home to the public and named it Aruloli Madam where he started giving discourses. He came back to Malaya in 1951 to preach at the Sree Thandayuthabani Temple in Penang, the Aruloli Murugan Temple in Penang Hill, the Maha Marimman Temple in Ipoh, the Court Hill Pillaiyaar Temple in Pudu, the Scott Road Kandaswami Temple in Brickfields, the Athi Eswaran Temple in Sentul, the Sree Maha Marimman Temple in Jalan Bandar, the Sivan Temple in Jalan Sungei Besi Kuala Lumpur and the Mariamman Temple in Singapore. He stayed in Ceylon in 1953 before leaving for India. He established many missions in India and Malaya and the Atma Santhi Nilaiyam in his hometown Panaikulam in 1958. The Aruloli Mandram was formed in Malaya in 1960 under the patronage of Tun V. T Sambanthan, a Minister in the Malayan Government. The Malayan Government donated a piece of land in Ipoh where on completion of the building the then Chief Minister of the state of Perak Datuk Sri Haji Kamaruddin bin Haji Isa officiated the opening of the building on 11th February 1973. He built and completed his Samadhi Mandapam and had his student and disciple Shivasri Muthu Kumara Shivachariar perform the Kumbhabishegam on the Shivaraja Kopuram in the year 1991. Chitramuthu Adigal went into Samadhi on Sunday, May 5th, 1995. He lived till 95.

He authored many songs in Tamil which were later compiled as a book entitled Arul Oli. His writing entitled "Gurumathi Maalai" which dealt with false gurus was published amidst much protest and sabotage from certain quarters. Other works of his are Thirupugazh Thiraviyam, Perinba Kural, Mounantha Mani Mozhigal, Marana Sinthanai, Gnana Pandithan, Nerai Neri Mozhigal, Seer Thirunthu Manitha, Karunai Kanneer, Kirubai Piragasa Pokisham, Aruloli Malar and Gandhiyin Thiruvarut Pulambal. 

Source: Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal, and Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyaar, who both were students of Chitramuthu Adigal; the caretaker cum local priest of Jeganatha Swamigal Temple who has since then passed away; "Thirupur Thaaiveedu Ainthavathu Andu Niraivu Vizha Malar", 1994; Nithyavani Manikam’s blog at http://nithyavani.blogspot.com/2011/12/blog-post_28.html and http://thaaiveedu.blogspot.com.

Gnana Pitha Sivananda

Govindasamy Sivapalan of the Department of Indian Studies, University of Malaya, in his paper entitled "Siddha Worship in Malaysia: An Introduction" presented at the 32nd All India Sociological Conference held at Chennai, India in 2006, gives a detailed account of yet another saint Gnana Pitha Sivananda who set foot on our soil. We sourced more information from the book "Siddhaveda Sinthanaigal" by Pa. Subaiyah, Published by Sivananda Paramahamsar Dhyana Mantram, Malaysia.

Raman Nambiar, who was later to become Gnana Pitha Sivananda (Swami Sivananda Paramahamsa), was born in 1879 in Vadakarai. He left home at the age of 9, arriving at the Madam of Kanoor Swamigal. However, he was found and was brought home to finish his schooling. He served as a teacher in Kalaripayat in later years in Malabar. At 17, he left home again. His relative Ananthan Nambiar got him a constable's job at his station. When he returned home from his duty one day to find his wife had passed away, the incident made him re-think hard about life and its impermanence. This was the beginning of his spiritual conquest. After performing the last rites for his wife, he headed for Tunjathu Ramanujar's Samadhi and sat in meditation. Then he furthered his meditation at the Panjavarnam cave in Palani. After Bhogar appeared in front of him and gave him initiation, he left on a pilgrimage to the Himalayas on 5th January 1910. He returned from the Himalayas in 1913 as Swami Sivananda Paramahamsar. The following year, he went on another pilgrimage throughout India, stopping over at Pavanagar, Peshawar, Thirusoor, Savakadu, and Kadathanadu before establishing the Samapanthi Bhojana Sangam in 1921. This was later renamed Siddha Samajam. He arrived in Malaya in 1937 and set up the Siddha Vidhya Sangam in Setapak in Kuala Lumpur. He started an Ashram on 7 ½ acres of land which devotees had donated in Tasik near Kroh, Perak. It is said that before the independence of Malaya, he gathered some of his followers and left for India. His remaining devotees started the Swami Sivananda Paramahamsar Dhyana Mantram in Bagan Serai, Perak. 

If the Siddha philosophy took root in Malaysia as practiced by these saints initially, it was taken up and spread further in the 70s and 80s through Siddha movements affiliated to Thavathiru Rengaraja Desigar of Ongkarakudil, Turaiyur. As Jagathiswary Ravichandran mentions in her research paper at http://agathiyarvanam.blogspot.my/2017/01/siddha-teachings-in-malaysia.html these movements have to be given credit for bringing over the Siddhas' messages in later years.

Mauna Samy, Pinnaakisan & Others

Agathiyar too revealed several saints, amongst them was Mauna Samy. Agathiyar in a Nadi reading read by Tavayogi for Surendaran Selvaratnam spoke about the history of the Samadhi at the foothills of Batu Caves in Malaysia as that of Mauna Guru Siddhar. Agathiyar says, "Having performed Tavam or austerities in the Himalayan range, Mauna Guru Siddhar traveled through Burma to the limestone hills of Malaya. He installed Lord Murugan, performed further Tavam, and gained Mukthi. He maintained silence for years and attained Siddhi. The locals called him Mauna Samy". Later Surendaran and many others were asked to light a lamp at this place. Earlier Agathiyar had directed an Indian citizen working in Singapore to pay homage at this Samadhi through a Nadi reading. 

When Surendaran asked to know if there were more Siddha Samadhis in Malaysia, Agathiyar listed several in his Jeeva Nadi including that of a disciple of a Siddha Vidhyarthi from Kerala. It is located in Penang. Agathiyar mentions another samadhi of his followers in a Thirumal temple in Penang too. He mentions that he had revealed earlier to Surendaran about Mauna Siddhar's Samadhi and Jeganatha Swamigal Samadhi. Agathiyar reveals that the Samadhi that was popularly known as Sanasimalai in Cheng, Melaka is actually that of Pinnaakisan. 

Agathiyar himself is said to have traveled to Malaya back then according to a text attributed to Lord Muruga titled "Prapancha Kaandam". In Cambodia, he established the very first of his many educational institutions for the propagation of philosophy and science. After establishing a similar institution and hospital in Malaya, he crossed the sea to the continent of Kumari Kandam (during Agathiyar’s time, Kumari Kandam occupied a vast area extending from present-day Sri Lanka to the Antarctic. King Ravana, a great devotee of Lord Shiva, who ruled this continent gave away a portion of his kingdom to Agathiyar to establish more institutions. The foremost of these institutions in this region was known as Arunodaya Giri or Meozone. Here Agathiyar practiced Yoga and taught it to his large following of disciples. Agathiyar then went back north to Malaya where he was betrothed to the king’s daughter. He then ruled the kingdom of Vijayapuri. He returned to Kumari Kandam where he met Lord Murugan in the form of Supramaniar at Trikona Malai (present-day Trincomali). At the hill station called Kadari Kama or Kadhirgama, Lord Murugan imparted spiritual knowledge to Agathiyar. Thaeraiyar too is said to be from Malaya. (Source: Dr. Mandayam Kumar from the Siddha Medical Research Institute in Bangalore)

TK Thangaraj of Tirupur, who had a successful business in the clothing industry going for him, and who rubbed shoulders with politicians and celebrities and tried his luck in movies too, having produced two movies and having a cameo appearance in one of them, and who became Tavayogi Thangarasan Adigal later came to Malaysia following in the footsteps of his Guru Chitramuthu Adigal and Paramaguru Jeganatha Swamigal and at the command of Agathiyar beginning in 2004. Tavayogi downplayed the sufferings and miseries he went through never sharing them with others. Occasionally he would tell me a thing or two. We are blessed to have known him and known Agathiyar through him and are grateful to him for taking us in as his students. Knowing his time was up Tavayogi handed over the running of the Kallar ashram to his able assistant Mataji Sarojini Ammaiyar and spoke these last words to me, that in the event he does not return to the ashram, Mataji shall manage the establishment. He passed away soon enough at his ashram on 3rd July 2018. 

Read about other saints whose holy feet touched this soil at

Siddha Heartbeat: SWAMI SIVANANDA OF RISHIKESH


http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_2013-12-11_165654.html