Sathura Giri Hills - The abode of Siddhars

Sathuragiri Hills

This time, my blog post chronicles my trip to (and experience in) Sathuragiri Hills - the abode of Siddhars, which is claimed to have many known and unknown medicinal herbs. In my previous blog, I had written about my trek in the Velliangiri Hills, which is open only for around 3 months a year. In terms of elevation, this was a similar experience, as the Sathuragiri trek is a 1000m MSL climb from a base of 200m MSL. This temple follows a different yet interesting pattern in terms of entry - 6 days per (Tamil) month i.e., the full moon day, new moon day, and a couple of days before and after.

Location: The Sathuragiri trail begins at Saptur Reserve Forest right after Thaaniparai, which lies 63 kms from Thirumangalam town on NH44. From there, NH744 (Madurai-Tenkasi NH) leads to Krishnan Koil Police Station (another 45 kms) and taking a right deviation (via Watrap, on a good motor-able road) leads to Thaaniparai. Staying at Srivilliputhur is a good option for those looking to head to Sathuragiri and start the trek fresh in the morning, as there are plenty of buses from Srivilliputhur to Watrap, from where share autos ferry to Thaaniparai.

Legend and layout: Sathuragiri in Tamil translates to “square hill”. The main deity, Sathura Maha Lingam, is situated in a small valley called Sanjeevi Giri, surrounded by four hills in each direction (viz., Vishnu Giri, Shiva Giri, Brahma Giri and Sidda Giri) hence giving it the name. There is another legend that all four Vedas assimilated to form this abode of Shiva. The main hill consists of five lingams i.e., Pancha Lingam Sthalam. They are Sandana Maha Lingam (Lingam under the Sandal Tree), Sundara Maha Lingam (Lingam prayed by Sundara Rishi), Sundara Murthy Lingam, and Erattai Lingam (Twin Lingams). Out of these, Sundara Maha Lingam and Erattai Lingams are Swayambu (believed to have formed on their own). These deities were worshipped by the 18 Siddhars, whose statues can be found at the Sandana Maha Lingam Temple. The river flowing from this hill also has its namesake, originating above Sandana Maha Lingam Temple and gushing down mightily during peak monsoons. So mighty that a flash flood on 17th May 2015 left 6 pilgrims dead and 1000 stranded for two days, which led the Government to restrict trekking to the aforementioned 6 days a month. The Forest Department issues and monitors entry, restricting it between 6:30 AM TO 3:30 PM. Normally, people prefer descending post-3 PM, as the setting sun settles behind the hills, providing shade for a comfortable descent.

Requisites: A climbing stick is necessary for the trek, more for the descent than the ascent, and even more for scaring away monkeys (some of whom are brave enough to come and open your backpack for a snack). The total trek is around 8km with climbing involved throughout, except in the initial 1km and final 0.5km.

My journey: I started the hike on a pleasant morning at 6:30AM, before the scorching summer sun took hold. The majestic view of the hills provided a silent and peaceful beginning to the trek.

An initial paved path for a couple of kilometres leads to a unique Ganapathy Temple. Normally Ganapathy’s trunk swirls left or right, but in this case it is blessing the onlooker, giving it the name “Asirvada Pillayar” as per the supporting stone edict.

Once I reached the Sathuragiri river (which was dry as bone this time), the paved path is substituted by steps both natural and man-made. There is a Yoga Bhairavar temple just before the rivulet crossing.

The next stop is a forest department guest house called Aththi Uththu, as there used to be a stream here with plenty of fig fruits. Bears, monkeys, and elephants frequent the place in seasons, hence the need for a forest checkpost to warn people. This is followed by the Vazhukku Parai crossing (literally “Slipping rock”), since the steps are badly carved and easy to slip, especially in monsoons. After this, there are two small caves to rest.

Below, you can see the risky path the stream takes during rainy seasons:

After this stretch I disembarked to cross the river. The steep climb begins after the river crossing, twisting and turning until the last 0.5kms. The path is a mix of walking trails, some paved stone pathways, and sometimes just grass and tree roots. Below, you can see the hills and the path through which the trek continues, sizing up the task for the next few hours.

The valley gives sufficient cool and shadow as the Sun is to my right in the morning and my way is south to north.  Now I get a sufficient space between my hill and opposite hill and the valley of the river is down below me. 

Below: The depth of the valley from a tip.

Below: A massive rocky hill, with a shadow cast by the hill I was in.

Contrasting the dense forest, there is also a barren hill.

At a rest stop, I came across a place of interest called Karappasu, which is worshipped as it shows the impression of a cow’s hoof in the stone.  

Next up is Korakker Caves, named after one of the 18 Siddhars who meditated 50 feet down the cave near a small stream whose water is considered pious. This place is easily identifiable by a big Shiva Image drawn on the rocks, and many skip this stop for the aforementioned 50-feet descent and ascent.

Below: A young child fearlessly climbs and plays on the steep rock opposite Korakker caves.

After this comes the temple of Erattai Lingams, with two lingams and two Nandis.

Further up is a small pond (dry at that time) called Naval Uththu below a Jamoon tree. The water of the pond is believed to help diabetics. Well, a belief is a belief, and often the human mind makes miracles possible through beliefs.

Half an hour later, I came across the “Big” Vazhukku Parai (“Big” Slipping rock!). Compared to the previous one, this was obviously a bigger risk. The earlier one had a stream below, but this one has a stream that has to be crossed during monsoons, requiring a lot of care despite any amount of experience. Fortunately, I only had to imagine the risk as this stream too was dry as bone. You can imagine too based on the image below:

After crossing dry supposed-streams and some small actual streams, I came across a huge Jackfruit Tree, below which is the Palavadi Karuppanna Swamy Temple. “Palavadi” here denotes the location of the temple under a jack fruit tree. This is the Guardian deity who safeguards the health of the villagers. Normally, these guardian temples are found in village entrances, and are highly revered by the locals.

After this, the toughest part of the climb is done, and what remains to be covered is a straightforward walk of less than 500 metres. Unlike other hilltop temples, this is relatively cleaner as nothing is available enroute from below, except in the few shops just before the main temples (below).  A local favourite, unique to the place, is a soup called Nava Mooligai Soup. For just Rs.10 (atleast as of 17.4.2019), it refreshes and strengthens the weary trekker. The soup is made of nine herbs, based on a recipe used from ages ago, the details of which are available in the picture below. The soup is definitely worth a try, and I drank it both ways to prepare myself physically.   

Finally, the small circular valley comes to a T-junction with paths to the left and right. It is preferable to visit the temple on the left side first, named Sandana Maha Lingam, since you would only have to climb around 100 steps by crossing the bridge over the stream.  As photography is not allowed I could only capture a glimpse of the entrance and the river Sathuragiri (which dissects the temple into two by running below it). The deities here are the 18 Siddhars, Sandana Ganapathy, Sandana Murugan, Sandana Maha Lingam, and Sandana Maha Devi (in that order).

Below: The river gushes from the creek above and passes through (below my feet where I am standing). When there is water of course.

                                                

Below: The steel bridge connecting the Sandana Maha Lingam Temple from where the steps starts.

After descending the steps, I have to climb the opposite direction, although it is a shorter route. First I encounter the Sundara Murthy Temple, beyond which there are two shelters for tired pilgrims to take rest. There is also a belief that there is a stream of Ganges here, brought by the Siddhars. Even to this day, people around the temple rely solely on the water from this stream - priests for their rituals and shopkeepers for their daily requirement. The water is sweet and even the local monkeys deftly access the water to drink by pressing the tap. 

After refreshing myself with cold water, I set out on the way to the Sundara Maha Lingam, which is around 23 degree slanting towards the right.  It has an incredible view. The completion of the darshan finally made the journey to Sathuragiri hills complete.

While there was not much flora and fauna this time of the year, I enjoyed the sight of two magnificent flowering trees and a bird in the midst of this dry summer.

Located another 150 metres above the Sundara Maha Lingam temple is a place called Tavasi Parai.  This rock formation looks like a Ganapathy idol from an angle. There are two massive boulders within which, at one point in time, all the 18 Siddhars would sit and hold discussions. There is also a Ganapathy statue carved by Siddhars without using any tools, which is completely  made of stone. Unfortunately, due to reasons best known to the Forest Department, this route and visit was permanently closed a few years ago. It is alleged that terrorists and anti-social elements congregate there due to the nature of the location, and also that catching them when they’re mingled with the general public would be extremely difficult. This visit will take another 2 hours to complete from the bottom.

I began my descent and thanked my stars that the day was cloudy and windy. And instead of staying until 3 PM, I started my journey back by 1 PM after spending 3 hours on the top.  I returned with a thoroughly refreshed soul and unburdened heart. It is my wish to visit again during the monsoon season, to be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the cascading stream all along the route.