A short 3 km uphill trek will get you to the Shenbaga Devi falls. It is one of several water falls that feed the Kuttralam falls about 5 km downstream. All these falls are deified with temples built near/around them.

Source of Kutraalam Main Falls.

Clean green litter-free landscape (a rare sight in Tamil Nadu - unfortunately!).

Not a single speck of litter for the entire stretch -- compared with the eye sore of trash pollution everywhere in the city down below.

Accompanying about 1/3 of the journey up is this rapidly flowing creek (though doesn't look like it in the photo), crystal-clear water, run-off from the water falls up ahead.

The water falls (one of five that feed the kuttraalam falls about 5 km downstream). Small but with decent force - feels like you're being pelted by sacks of rice; towards the center it pins you down.

Site: Velapar Murugan (வேலப்பர் முருகன்)
Map: +9° 51′ 2.40″ N, +77° 35′ 54.00″ E, 500m.

This is located en-route to Theni from Madurai city, past township called Aandipatti. There is also a small road side rest-stop/temple – DharmaSastha (தர்மசாஸ்தா) located here along the way, at 339m. We got a generous helping of piping hot brown sugar pongal prasadam wrapped in clean banana leaves there (donate some money for their service!).

The priests in the destination temple, Velapar Murugan, and the area itself is from a community of native/indigenous tribal folks (ஆதி). The perform puja chanting was distinctively different in their native Tamil dialect (neither Sanskrit nor classical Tamil). We went off season so the whole trek was quiet and to ourselves.

The last quarter stretch of steps to the top.

The temple.

About 2 km walk on a narrow and rocky dirt trail, past the temple, some berries - kalaakaay (கலாகாய்) up high on the tree tops. The ripe ones look and taste a bit like navaa-pazham.

The three local kids who accompanied me on this trek, feasting on kalaakaay after going through all means to get at these branches from the tree tops.

Traditional water catchment / reservoir (நடு முதலைக் குலம்) on outskirts of Madurai.

Above picture zoomed in. Folks going to Kali temple. They're carrying offerings of sprouted grains on their heads.

Click to zoom.

I caught this procession of folks in the distance, on the way back from a visiting a remote rural temple. They are going to the local Kali temple. Usually this is done on every powarnami (full moon day). But this one is special, as it comes right after Navaratri celebrations. They’re carrying mulai-paari (முளை பாரி; pots with sprouted grains; click on the photo to zoom in) on their heads, which after offering to Kali, they’ll let it float off in the water. It’s a way of thanking and seeking blessing for the upcoming cycle of harvest (which happens in Pongal time).

The above is a traditional water catchment, eco-friendly (as opposed to today’s trend of uprooting the local ecosystem by building dams). Stretches for a few kilometers. You can gauge how old it is from the name itself – “nadu muthalai kulam” (”நடு முதலைக் குலம்” – “lake where crocodiles are found in the middle”). There are no crocodiles today, nor do I think there were any even in the last 50 years. Considering that this season the monsoons have been meagre in Tamil Nadu, catchments like this are their (and our) life bread and butter.

While common society endows the title of “great warrior” on war heroes, these spiritual traditions recognized only those who had mastered themselves as the true warriors or conquerors. That is, not a conquest of lands and peoples, but the “conquest” and the mastery of one’s inner self. For these people, the pursuit of the Spirit, the spiritual path, was not for the weak, wavering, or half-hearted, but required the stealth and determination of a warrior. They were also critical thinkers well beyond their time, even by today’s measure. I can only imagine how intense their meditations had to be considering the layers of conditionings we mortals would have to shed to reach such heights of self-actualization. They took the most direct path, walking on the razors edge.

This is not limited to just the Mahaviras of the Samanars, but such direct paths can also be found in the traditions of the Siddhars, Aghoris, Nagas, the Native Americans (the spirit masters, medicine men/women, shamans, and naguals), the wiccans and pagans of pre-Christian Europe, the Aboriginals of Australia, Siberia, Mongolia, and so on.

The other parallel tradition and equally vigorous tradition, along with the Samanars, in Tamil Nadu that flourished in that time period was that of the Siddhars. The Siddhars, aimed at the perfection of the body (unlike other paths that did not put much importance on the physical body). This is not as in building form, but in activating certain energy elements in the body (kundalini chakras). By doing so, the Siddhar merges the body-spiritual (not the body-material) with the Atman. It’s probably from this focus on the perfection of the body (including methods for extending youth and longevity, regeneration, healing) arose the tradition of Siddha medicine.

The one book that’s considered the crest of the peacock on the subject of kundalini is Thirumoolar’s Thirumanthiram. I don’t understand 90% of it :), but still doesn’t prevent me from revisiting it every few years. Sometimes I feel maybe it’s Thirumoolar’s idea of playing a big joke on us before he departed (maybe yet another way of getting us to churn our souls in different directions and evolve). But then probably not, these sadhus don’t seem to have had any sense of humor. Most Tamil siddha texts are written in current Tamil, but is intentionally uses a mode of conveying things called sandhya basha (or twilight language), which unwinds or reveals itself only to those who ask the right critical questions (and not looking for the “right” answers — which can lead you down the wrong alley).

Books

• Shiva and the Primordial Tradition – Alain Danielou.
• Aghora – Robert E. Svoboda
• The Yoga of Siddha Boganathar – T. N. Ganapathy (poorly written, but informative and enlightening)
• Thirumantiram – Thirumoolar

{ Jainism (and Buddhism) flourished in Tamil Nadu and contributed greatly to its classical prose literature, but by around 7AD Jainism (and the Samanar tradition) lost its following when they started becoming fundamentalist. For example, as humanistic as Jainism was it had its share of untouchability (against non-Jains). In fact even the “sound” of a Shaivite chanting his mantras entering the ears of a Jain would be considered as “pollution” and the Jain would undergo severe purgation rituals. As a result Jains created many Jain-only areas, resulting in resentment among the locals, nor did it gain following. As with any faith, when the faith becomes less tolerant, i.e. more fundamentalist, it loses its appeal (at least among intelligent sensible people/cultures :)). In fact Jainism started becoming so puritanical, that it resulted in severe conflicts with other faiths (particularly the other dominent faith at that time – that of Shaivism), that it even resulted in Jains being faced with brutal persecution.}

A few months later, a friend called me for a walkabout tour of the area (being organized by the Archaeological Society of India, and guided by one retired professor of Arts & Humanities of Madurai Kamaraj University, Prof. Venkatraman).

Little did I know that there were so many gems like this all around the locality where I live. Searching the internet for more details came up with nothing. When I asked Prof. Venkatraman, even though he was walking treasure trove of knowledge on Samanars, he had not a single publication he could refer me to. Apparently like many teachers of previous generations, they transmitted knowledge in the oral tradition (I guess universities back then were free from pressures of “publish or perish”).

The great oral tradition of transmission of knowledge might be gone, but I guess replaced by internet! I’ve added these here as time permits.

Sites

• Site 1 (Vadapallanji)
• Site 2 (Keellakuyilakudi)
• Site 3 (Keellakuyilakudi)
• Site 4 (Oothukulli)
• Site 5
• Site 6

Map: 9° 56′ 44.93″ N, 77° 59′ 17.94″ E, 168m

Location: Oothukulli (ஊத்துக்குழி), 12km east of Madurai city, Tamil Nadu, India

Main passage.

A lone samanar idol. Located on cliff side a few meters west of the main entry.

+9° 56′ 45.00″, +77° 59′ 15.60″, 187m

The Samanar is almost always shown seated with a multi-tier mandalam over their head (in contrast to the Buddha who is shown with an orb or halo around his head), and juxtoposed by devas (the lesser gods or celesitial beings) and apsaras (celestial nymphs who try to distract the Samanar from his concentration). The row of recessed blocks on top of the Samanar is fairly common, for holding oil lamps.

Shrine on top of Samanar hill.

+9° 56′ 45.60″, +77° 59′ 17.40″, 222m

Must be some really crazy Christian zealots to really go out of the way to climb this hill and vandalize it (and that too, this particular hill marked as a heritage site by the Archaeological Society of India).

Hallelujah! another Jesus!

Map: 9° 55′ 19.20″ N, 78° 2′ 47.40″ E, 152m

Location: Keellakuyilakudi (கீழக்குயிலக்குடி), 8km east of Madurai city, Tamil Nadu, India

Slightly hidden away on the side of the hill of Site 2. It’s about 10min walk from the lotus pond. To get to it, walk past the lotus pond, past the Hindu temple, past the banyan trees (i.e. the banyan trees away from the lotus pond area), and after a short 20m or so, you’ll see an opening of steps between two big boulders. A climb of about 120 steps will get you to the mouth of the cave.

Lotus Pond

Path to cave.

Cave

Mahavira

Cave entrance.

Four mahavira's including a female mahavira (rightmost). Keep in mind that this was at a time when other cultures (in particular in the Middle-East religions) were still persecuting anyone who dared profess a connection to god (that was reserved only for their "prophet") -- and it was even more tragic for females -- who were treated as heretics.

Map: 9° 55′ 21.00″ N, 78° 2′ 50.40″ E, 200m

Location: Keellakuyilakudi (கீழக்குயிலக்குடி), 8km east of Madurai city, Tamil Nadu, India

Going up the hill. Total of 920 steps (including where steps were missing). It's a pretty steep gradient. Looks like the side rails were put in recently.

Found it strange why there were steps at a stretch and then not any for a long stretch - without any noticeable change in gradient.

City kids these days are so unfit. I thought I'd have to keep up with them, but it was the other way around. It was pitiful but funny: they were panting, tongues sticking out, hanging limply against the rails. Take plenty of water, you'll be parched by the time you start your way back down. Also the rock looks rough, but is glossy smooth - so unless you're into cheap thrills, don't do this on a wet day.

These idols are carved into the hill, located half way to the top (a climb of about 410 steps from the foot of the hill).

+9° 55′ 21.00″, +78° 2′ 50.40″, 200m

All these carvings stand in silent witness of what was once. There seem to be no Jains (of the Samanar or Digambar tradition) in Madurai to honor these today.

Seems very derelict, except for the water-feed pipeline (the natural springs are all gone), and a board by I think the Archaeological Society of India. Without that board this hill would have been blasted for quarrying, without even the slightest second thought.

Samanars were digambar (i.e. sky-clad/nude). Note the kundalani serpent criss-crossing behind the Samanar from foot to head.

Hill top is marked by this "flag pole".

+9° 55′ 24.00″, +78° 2′ 41.40″, 265m

Nagamalai.

The local kids named rock as the phantom (though it looks more like an ogre, waiting to snatch them). Thiruparamkundram and Passumalai can be seen in the distance.

You can just barely make out the four gopurams of the Meenakshi temple in the distance, center, just above the horizon.

Meenakshi temple gopurams (zoomed in).

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Map: 9° 55′ 49.80″ N, 78° 1′ 22.20″ E, 180m

Location: Vadapallanji (வடப்பழஞ்ஜி), 10km east of Madurai city, Tamil Nadu, India

The cave entrance. Though I use the word "cave" most of these are just large shelters under natural rock formations. Inside this cave there are a number of beds carved right into the stone.

Two Samanar monks, Mahaviras.

Probably their guru or point of focus.

Even though they're carved out of solid stone right into the hill, they are amazingly comfortable. Even the two kids who accompanied me couldn't stop repeating to themselves of just how peaceful it was. Must be the energy from the Samanars.

Beds.

All the beds have a head-rest carved into the stone.

More beds.

I always find it strange that when non-Hindus (Christians in particular) holding a 100 candle vigil for peace gets regular coverage on just about every major news channel in India, but something like Hindus lighting over 10,000 lamps for world peace seem to be less worthy of mention and hardly gets a mention even in print media.

I’m referring to the recent article in The Hindu: Over 10,000 lamps lit for World Peace. This is held every year in Madurai. Similar rituals for world peace can be witnessed performed by Hindus all across in different regions of the country. It got only a very bare mention in only one newspaper (that too, only in the local edition).

Like how many times has one not seen a group of Christians holding a candle light vigil for peace? while 10,008 by Hindus gets only a blurb in the local paper? Hmm, this strikes me as a big bias.

This sort of repeated coverage sends the intended message about one culture being more humanitarian and superior than others. Is it a surprise that most non-Christian countries have a xenophobia about the increasing western stake/control in their country’s media? Control the media, you in time control/penetrate the culture (see Discreditation and Missionary Aggression).