Bangaru Adigalar

Bangaru Adigalar Biography

Bangaru Adigalar is a spiritual guru from Tamil Nadu, south India. He currently serves as the President of Adiparasakthi Charitable Medical Educational and Cultural Trust. He is fondly called ‘Amma’ by his followers, which means ‘Mother’. He has implemented reforms in temple and spiritualism. For his overall contributions towards the field of Indian spiritual culture and religion, government of India announced Padma Shri on the occasion of 2019 Republic Day celebrations.

Bangaru Adigalar was born in Maruvathur, Tamil Nadu on March 3, 1941. Currently he is settled in Melmaruvathur – the holy town with 2000 years old rich tradition, where the female devotees dressed in red visit him and share their problems. Women also participate in several religious rituals there. The holy shrine Arulmigu Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peedam is situated at Melmaruvathur, 92 kms south of Chennai on the NH-45.

This spiritual leader is not free of controversies too. Though he has been accused of a fraud and sexual predator, he also owns a huge following crowd. His uncanny instincts and supernatural power have to be acknowledged, say devotees. But he claims only to be a devotee of Goddess Adiparasakthi. His teachings consist of deceptively simple, every day truths. He also counsels women and helps to share their problems with. At Melmaruvathur, the Goddess Adiparasakthi listens to prayers of all women in red, who are guided by her avatar. That’s why he is fondly called ‘Amma’ by his followers.

Devotees from other states also come to visit him. Believers of Karnataka outnumber women from Tamil Nadu. Many feel that the annual pilgrimage is not a ritual to be missed. He claims to speak to Oracles, perform miracles and walks in an effeminate fashion, which have not received any scientific explanation. In 2019 he has been honoured with Padma Shri by government of India.

Published: January 28, 2019

Updated: January 28, 2019