Pambatti siddhar

Pambatti siddhar

Pambatti siddhar was the latest from the 18 siddhars who lived at various time periods in India and mainly southern India. Some of his poems, roughly around 600 lines of text are available today. His poems are written in Tamil and he is famous for finishing his poems with the term 'Addu Pambe' which literally means 'dance, o snake'. Even his poems are addressed to snakes. Some of his poems also addresses his spiritual teacher or guru. Pambatti siddhar comes from the line of saints who are believed to have possessed siddis or supernatural powers through rigorous meditation and other spiritual exercises. He is also believed to have caught snakes and sold them for living before he ventured into his spiritual quest.
Sri Pambatti siddhar attained the eight supernatural powers called 'Ashtamasiddhi' after performing penance for a very long time in a cave on Marudamalai, near Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Also he lived in places like Mahalingamalai in Vathiraayiruppu, Kollimalai, Madurai, Puliyur and Bhavani. One notable aspect of his works are the usage of common slang language to explain complex spiritual experiences and siddhis. He has a flavour for imagination and often mentions that salvation is not possible without love in one's heart. He also have performed pooja and meditated near Holy Marudha Tree (Terminalia_arjuna) in Marudamalai by praying to Lord Murugan. He is believed to have attained Samadhi by practising his rigorous techniques in Sankarankoil.