101 Swamy Malai

India is a rich country when it comes to tradition and culture. Unlike modern days Gurus, Gurus in the past were devoid of worldly pleasure. They were rich in yogic powers, in Thantras and in Mantras. People who left worldly life in the pursuit of real happiness lived an atheistic life. They lived with the nature. One such type of people is called Siddhars. Shidhars are saints; they are staunch devotees of Lord Shiva. They practiced an unorthodox type of sadhana, or spiritual practice, to attain liberation. Siddhars are people who are believed to control and transcend the barriers of the time and space by meditation (yoga), after the use of substances called Rasayanas that transform the body to make it potentially deathless, and a particular breathing-practice, a type of pranayama. 

Today, we are going to learn one such siddhar temple. 101-swamigal kovil is in 101-swami malai village in Hoganecal taluk of Krishnagiri Dist. in Tamil Nadu. This temple is located in the heart of harsh terrain of krishnagiri dist, and has no proper connecting roads, one has to pass thru' the uneven mud roads, gravels, and puddles to reach this temple. The temple is a simple one. Some 700 years ago there lived a swamiji (or siddhar) in this village. He was kind and very generous type. Whoever, irrespective of the time of the day, when asked for food, swamiji would give without any hesitations. The swamiji would never say ''NO'' to anyone. So, people approached the swamiji whenever they needed food. One fine day, the villagers got suspicious and wanted to test Swamiji's powers. So, 100 villagers gathered at the swami's place and asked for food. The swamiji welcomed them all, asked them to take their seats. The 100 villagers sat down in line. Then swamiji went inside the cave, and brought a small can with little food inside in it. Villagers suspicion was growing stronger,  they simply did not believe Swamiji could meet their expectations, and they expected shortage in food. However, Swamiji served all 100 people to their satisfaction. After serving all, even he sat down to have his food with them. By now, villagers understood his greatness, and realized their mistake. They asked for his forgiveness. Swamiji forgave them  all. From that incident on, Swamiji abode came to be known as 101 malai where 101 represents the guests and the swamiji.

Today, the place where swami took jeeva samadhi, and the place where he meditated are the holiest places at the temple; a Shiva Lingam is erected to commemorate his greatness. What is Jeeva Samadhi? Jeeva meaning Life, and samadhi is a verb meaning buried so it is buried alive. In Kundalini Gnanam Jeeva samadhi is a person imbued with eternal life force. In this concept, by spiritual practices, life is not allowed to go out of the body. The seed cells in the body never get damaged. Such a person stops the functions of the body after completion of his or her mission by his or own will. Gnani will fix his or her mind with the Almighty and stop functioning. The body is then buried. That body will never decay whether it is thousand or ten thousand years, because the magnetic force in the body itself acts as a life force in the body.

As the swami lived in the cave, the cave became the temple. Temple is now a mutt, and swami Rajendra is the current pontiff of the Mutt. One of the popular beliefs is that one can light a lamp at the shrine only with tender coconut water. Yes, you heard me right.  Just with tender coconut water the lamp (at the shrine) is lit. The lamp is on for more than 30 minutes before it is turned off.  You can light a lamp with coconut water only if you're a good person.Well, every day 100s of people flock to this temple to light the lamp and get his blessings.

The authenticity of this miracle is still disputed by some; what ever may be the case it is still worth a try. So when you're in Bangalore or in Chennai, and if you have ample time, please do visit this temple to witness its greatness!