Siddhars, Alwars & Nayanmars

Derived from the Tamil word ‘siddhi’ meaning ‘heavenly bliss’, a Siddha is one who has attained this ‘siddhi’.

- Radhika Muthukrishnan

Siddhars

The Yoga Sutra talks of 64 such siddhis, which includes clairvoyance, mind reading and astral travel. 84 siddhas of great prominence have been mentioned. The siddha tradition is common to Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, although there are minor differences as to who is considered a Siddha at birth. The Buddhists believe that Gautama Buddha formalized the path after attaining liberation while in the Hindu tradition; they all belonged to the Tantra tradition of Saivism.

When it comes to the South Indian siddha tradition, 18 siddhas have been mentioned, most of them hailed from Tamil Nadu. These 18 Siddhas are said to have laid the foundation for the Siddha system of medicine. It is believed that Shiva passed on the knowledge to Parvati who in turn gave it to Nandi and from him to Agastiyar.