Mookupodi Swamigal

Life of Mookupodi Swami

The famed Mookupodi Swamigal (Siddhar) who devoted his life to prayer and seclusion, passed away at Seshadri Ashram, Tiruvannamalai, on Sunday morning at 5.30 a.m., December 9, 2018. His death came nearly ten days after he had fallen whilst moving around Arunachalala. After his fall, he appeared unwell and declined to take food or engage in activity. He remained (until his end) only at Seshadri Ashram on Chengham Road, Tiruvannamalai.

Mookupodi Swamigal spent his life on the streets, roads, shops, ashrams, temples, mandapams - at the foot of Arunachala. He frequently wore a green shawl and would regularly inhale tobacco powder - hence his nomenclature "Mookupodi". He rarely spoke and it was believed that if he did speak or look at a person's face, that he was giving his blessings.

Devotees who came for darshan waited long hours to hear a few words from him. Devotees from all over Tamil Nadu visited him to get his blessings. He sometimes made predictions on natural calamities baffling many. But, after the fortelling came true, those around him came to understand the predictions.

By the time of his death, as well as devotees from these parts and pilgrims from further afield, Mookupodi Swami was regularily visited by local and State politicians in order to receive his Blessings. Mookupodi Siddhar lived at Tiruvannamalai for over thirty years. However it was only in the last ten years of his life that he started to become well known both to people living here and pilgrims from other places.

Mookupodi Swamigal was born as Mottayan Gaunder in his family's ancestral home on Shivan Kovil Street, East Rajapalayam, near Salem. His caste was that of the Gaunder farming community. During his youth, Mottayan Gaunder would spend most of his time at the Veerapathiran Temple where he served as priest and made garlands for the Temple deity. At the age of 25, his family insisted on his marriage to a girl named Chadachi. The marriage took place and soon after, the couple had a son who they named Periyaswamy.

Shortly after Periyaswamy's birth, Mottayan Gaunder left his birth village - which he would not return to for over 12 years - and began his spiritual journey as a travelling Sadhu. After wandering about for 12 years he returned to his native place of East Rajapalayam, to be in attendance for the passing away of his wife Chadachi, which occurred almost immediately on his return. After she passed away, Mottayan Swami continued to remain in his village for three months. Before departing, he asked his son Periyaswamy to accompany him but Mottayan Gaunder's mother refused.

She was quoted to have said, "You took that path. At least let me have my grandson with me ..."

Periyaswamy obeyed his grandmother and continued to live in his native place. He married and became a householder with two children; one boy and one girl. Years later, Periyaswamy travelled to Tiruvannamalai and by showing around an old photographs of his father, successfully located his father living amongst the Sadhu community of Tiruvannamalai.

Old photograph of Mottayan Gaunder

Of his relationship with his Sadhu father, Periyaswamy remarked: "To my father, I am not any different. He is treating me like the way he does you...".

Periyaswamy, son of Swamigal

Freely using the birth name of Mottayan Gaunder on arrival at Tiruvannamalai, over time and because of his habit of frequently snorting tobacco (Mookupodi) and snuff, Mottayan Gaunder began to be known as Mookupodi Siddhar or Mookupodi Swamigal. Soon his birth name was forgotten and at this place he was increasingly known as Mookupodi Swamigal.

During His time at Tiruvannamalai He lived at a number of Temples including Hanuman Temple, Rajarajeshwari Temple, Adi Annamalai Temple, Karumariamman Temple and towards the end of His life, at the Navagraha Shrine on Girivalam Road next to Unnamulai Teertham.

Whilst there, increasingly large crowds of devotees gathered to take his darshan and wait for signs and blessings in answer to their prayers. Mookupodi Siddhar behaved in unorthodox and unusual ways. He would shout at and chase people and sometimes even beat some with his lathi (stick) .... which was believed to be both a blessing and a teaching.

Every morning, people gathered near Ner Annamalai Temple for darshan of the mostly silent Swamigal. They would wait, sometimes for hours, to get his darshan and blessings. At times, Swamigal would ask a visitor to give him money, and he would wrap it in a towel or strip of cloth, and then tie the material (with the money) to his hip. There were days when several bundles of money were tied to his body in this way. Later he would randomly give that money to someone else.

Below is a video of Mookupodi Swamigal on Car Street, Tiruvannamalai and shows how Mookupodi comported himself day by day.

Video of Mookupodi Swamigal

The enigmatic Siddhar Mookupodi Swami. He had no home but the streets of the Tiruvannamalai and the floors of Shrines and restaurants. Wherever He went crowds of devotees followed in the hope that they would receive His blessing.

Devotees Stories of Mookupodi Siddhar (Mottayan Swamigal)

December 2007
Went for a Meal and met a Saint

I was taking meals at the old Hotel Deepam on Car Street, opposite the Post Office, when I first saw Mottayan Swamiji (Mookupodi Swami). He was sitting on top of a box style ice cream freezer with his back leaning against the wall. The first things I noticed - he was motionless and very dirty . . . but there was something about him that peaked my curiosity. Even though it was the first time I had seen him I was fascinated enough to talk with the manager of the Hotel. He told me that Swamiji had been living at the Hotel for several months and all were eager he should remain. While there, I took a few photographs from a distance - he seemed oblivious to what was happening around him in the noisy Lodge abutting the busy main thoroughfare of Car Street.

Swamiji in 2007 at Hotel Deepam

It is believed he moved to Tiruvannamalai over 30 years ago. Occasionally he disappears from the Hotel Deepam but after a short time returns. Although not currently famous outside Tiruvannamalai, he is well known to traders and merchants near the Big Temple where it seems to be Swamiji's custom to habituate a particular shop or restaurant for months at a time and then suddenly, for no apparent reason, leave his spot and take up residence at some other place.

Wherever he remains, it is always with the grateful support of the owner of whatever establishment Swamiji has selected as they believe Swami's presence blesses and helps their business, health and life. In this respect he moved to his current abode, the restaurant Hotel Deepam on Car Street (near Arunachaleswarar Temple) about 4 months back. He sits quietly in the same corner and rarely notices or looks at anybody. When he wishes to eat he will command whoever he chooses to 'bring me food'. At night he sleeps on the restaurant floor. Sometimes he will get up and go for a wander about the town; about three times a week Swami will order an auto rickshaw driver to take him around the Hill - but always in an anti-clockwise direction. I have heard of several saints and sages who also have practiced going anti-clockwise around the Hill.

While there Mottayan Swamiji was sought by a number of devotees who came and sat at a table near him hoping for a glance, blessing or some sort of signal or recognition. The owner of Hotel Deepam told me that Swamiji is often offered expensive clothes and gifts, but he doesn't often accept items, instead preferring to remain in his own well worn rags. He also will rarely receive offerings of food - at the times he wishes to eat he will select who it is that will feed him, and then give his orders. The Manager told me that one time when Swamiji was alighting from the car of a devotee with whom he had journeyed and returned from a distant Temple Town, the devotee presented Swami with a fabulously expensive Shawl. Swami took the shawl and dropped it into a puddle at the side of the road, with his feet he stirred it around the mud and dirt and then only condescended to drape the now filthy Shawl upon his shoulders.

As to his condition...who can make a determination of someone's spiritual state? However I do know that at a vital decision making period of my life, I was drawn to present myself at the Hotel where I sat at a table near Swamiji. Whatever the reason for the impulse that brought me to Swami, I left feeling satisfied that my question had been answered and fully blessed. On a number of occasions thereafter I was able to spend time with Siddhar Swamigal and although have to admit to being a nervous a couple of time that I would be the object of his "apparent" rage...I have always met with a childlike gentleness from this wonderfully strange being.

Epilogue

Sri Ramana Maharshi once said that there are at least 7 Rishis (in disguise) living at Arunachala at any one time. And there is a famous story of Paramahamsa Ramakrishna once identifying a filthy fellow, who was sharing a leaf of food with a pack of dogs as a great Saint of immense power.

The story goes thus:
"Once a God intoxicated Sadhu came to Rani Rasmani's Kali temple. One day he did not get any food; and even though feeling hungry, he did not ask anybody for it; but seeing the dog eating the remnants of food thrown away in a corner after a feast, he went there and embracing the dog said, "Brother, how is it that you eat alone without giving me a share?" So saying, he began to eat along with the dog. Having finished his meal in this strange company, the sage entered the temple of Mother Kali and prayed with such devotion that it sent a thrill through the temple. When after finishing his prayers, he started to go away, and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa asked his nephew Hriday, to follow the man, and talk with him.

When Hriday followed him for some distance, the sage turned around and said, "Why do you follow me?" Hriday replied, "Sir, give me some instruction"

The sage said, "When the water of this dirty ditch and the Holy Ganges yonder appear as one in your sight, and when the sound of the flageolet (musical instrument) and the noise of the crowd will have no distinction to your ear, then you will reach the state of true knowledge. A Siddha roams in various disguises-as a child, as an unclean spirit, or even as a mad man".

My last experience of Mookupodi Swami reminded me of the above story of the mad Siddhar roaming about the streets of Calcutta.

It was a day shortly before Swamigal's accident which 10 days later led to his Samadhi at Sri Seshadri Swamigal Ashram.

I was passing the Navagraha Shrine on the Girivalam Roadway and on noticing a large crowd gathered about a solitary, dirty figure resting against a pillar of the Shrine, decided to stop in order to have darshan.

I stood at the edge of a number of other devotees, and Mookupodi Swami rose and started wandering about the outer circle of the Shrine. He walked about and then turned and stopped within a foot of me, face-to-face and eyeball-to-eyeball. He stood in front of me for over five minutes. It was as if he was pouring his grace into me. I stopped thinking and let him do whatever it was he was doing. We stood there in isolation and silence, oblivious to what else was happening around us.

That was the last time I saw Mookupodi Swami.

Swamigal balcony of Srinivasan School on girivalam roadway

Some locals feel that Mottayan Swamiji was some kind of Avadhuta much in the same way as Shirdi Sai or Seshadri Swami. Others mock and ridicule what they think is a ridiculous anachronism...someone belonging to the history pages of India.

All I can say is that I feel blessed and thankful to have been able to spend time in his presence.

May 2009
Unforgettable Meeting with Appa

"..... We met Appa in May 2009 - an unforgettable month of my life. My husband had lost his job in the U.S. due to recession. We were searching for jobs for 2 months now. In the meanwhile I was having very sudden and severe health problems related to my brain and fertility. All these put together we were having the toughest time of our life, not to mention that we were married for less than a year.

My husband is a devotee of Lord Arunachaleswarar and so, as is our habit, we went to Tiruvannamalai for Swami's darshan. On the blessed day when we met Appa, we were leaving Tiruvannamalai to go back to our home in Madurai. After having breakfast, I hired an auto. Of all the autos that were present there, God had to send me only that particular auto. In that auto, there were two photos. One was the photo of Uchimalai Swamigal who was no longer present in Tiruvannamalai. There was this other photo we did not recognise. We asked the auto driver about it and it was he who told us about Appa. We wanted to meet him very badly and asked him to take us to Appa.

The first time we met Appa he was in a Mariamman Temple in the Giri route. He was having a thiruvodu in his hands. When he saw us, he walked to the nearby plants and started to pluck leaves from them. He then kept those leaf bunches next to his head. After being there for sometime, he decided to go for girivalam and signalled to a person standing near by. He then started for girivalam in the anti-clockwise direction.

We took off behind him. He went into Hotel Akasha and asked for the senior owner. When he learnt that the owner was out of town, he broke his thiruvodu by sending it crashing on the floor. The owner immediately asked the guard to clear it and he explained to us, the spectators that Appa had actually done drishti kalippu by breaking the thiruvodu.

Our girivalam continued and at one point a leaf bunch flew from Appa's head and fell on the road - of the 4-5 bunches only one fell to the ground. We took the bunch as Prasad. I am very happy that I took it. We kept the leaf in a plastic cover and were very surprised to see that the leaf was fresh and green as if in a plant for a month.

I don't think it is a coincidence that the leaf was fresh till all our problems were solved. My husband got a job in Singapore, and all my health problems were resolved. Appa stayed with us in form of the leaf till our problems were solved.

Swamigal at tiffin stand

If you go to Tiruvannamalai try to have the divine experience with Appa. He will not talk through his mouth. But if you ask him something (you should talk using your heart and not mouth) then he will shake his head as an answer. If the answer is a yes then he will nod and if it is a no then he will indicate accordingly. If you have been blessed to meet Appa then I am sure, that Appa could not bear seeing you in pain and so he will chose to see you and free you of all the pain. I am also sure that from that moment on, your life will only improve."

August 2009
Still in Shock from meeting Appa Swamiji

"I am still in shock, I met Appa Swami yesterday and again today.

. . . I am a NRI (Non Resident Indian) from the USA, and was eager to meet him but no one knew where he was. I was walking along on a hot day with no hope of meeting Appa when on a whim I asked an auto driver ... and he said he saw him in the morning in a temple nearby. He had ridden twice in his auto around the Arunachala mountain - of course anti-clockwise.

I jumped in and asked him to take me to the temple. Appa wasn't there but one good Samaritan said he was in the school some distance away, but that I could not go in. My arrogance took over and I said, "Well, watch me".

I walked into the school, introduced myself to the headmaster who graciously invited me to his office where Appa was sitting on the ground as though he was waiting for me. He had a slight smile on his face. I folded my hands and prayed to him about my problems. He started saying something that I didn't understand.

I asked the headmaster and the headmistress who had joined us by then, what he was saying and they said that they had no idea who he was. Just that he had walked in that morning and a policeman who was with him asked the headmaster to treat him well. If Appa had chosen to come to the school, then good things must happen in the school.

Moments before I arrived, Appa had ordered for himself lunch from some far off Temple. The headmaster had sent someone to get it. The headmaster kept saying "Who is he?" I told him to read about him on the internet . . . "Appa you are famous. You are on the internet and the whole world knows about you." ... Then he returned to staring at the floor ahead of him with his awareness inside of him.

Appa started gesticulating more and saying a few more things. I was trying to understand what Appa was telling me. It was obvious he was talking to me because he was repeating the same thing over and over again.

. . . The Headmaster and Headmistress left the room. I sat for while with Appa feeling blessed he will take care of my problems... I didn't want to leave him but then he suddenly got up and went to the room next door. I was scared because he had two pieces of stick with him that he used when people annoyed him. I thought maybe I had annoyed him... but no, he was indicating to me that the meeting was over and I could go... I didn't get the message so I followed him to the neighbouring room.

Appa took a u-turn and walked back to the Headmaster's office and waved his hand signalling to me to leave. I bowed my head and asked for his blessings. He nodded and again signalled me to leave. I went outside and got back into the auto. I asked the auto driver what came of the two times Appa rode in his auto. The auto driver said he owned his own auto then but was also in a lot of debt. Since the rides, he has sold his auto and is completely out of debt. He is now carefree renting his latest auto deciding what to do next.

The next morning I went on girivalam . . . it being full moon day. I walked by the school wondering if the Headmaster had left his office open for Appa to sleep. The Headmaster's office was closed but I saw Appa pacing the floor outside. He had bathed and worn a fresh zari dhoti and looked luminous. I called out his name and he looked. I folded my hands above my head in namaskar so Appa could see it over and above the gate. Then a smile came on his face and he looked away and stood at a spot where I could see him clearly.

I feel in such peace. I know I am taken care of. Thank you Appa.

August 2009
Trip to Chennai with Appa Swamiji

". . . I had an inner feeling that I must visit Mookupodi Swamigal. I took him some snacks and surprisingly got the same auto driver who took me two days previously. Swami was pacing the floor in the headmaster's office when I arrived, and left in a huff with his two sticks. I was a little scared. was he angry with me for something?

But no, the headmaster asked me to sit down and wait for swami to return. Appa was back in a few minutes, he snapped the two short bamboo sticks on the floor and demanded repeatedly to be taken to Chennai.

As he was saying that a taxi owner who had more than a year ago prayed that if he could get out of the rental business and own his own taxi, that he would love for Appa to ride in it. Appa got in his taxi a few weeks ago and demanded to be driven around Arunachala anti-clockwise and then to Chennai and some other nearby towns. Appa was in his car day and night for one full week. The only time the taxi driver got time off was to eat. Anyway, after that trip two weeks ago, today was the first day the same taxi driver came to see Appa for his blessings - and lo and behold, Appa wanted to go to Chennai.

He asked me to come with him. I heard it once but didn't want to go. So I pretended not to understand. All the people in the headmasters office said Appa wanted me to go to Chennai with him. To be sure for myself I repeatedly asked Appa if that was the case. At first he pointed (with the two sticks) to a seat beside him - there was no way I was going to get in with him holding the two sticks. So he pointed to the seat beside the driver. Still worried and wondering why we were going to Chennai and when we would come back, I sat in front.

It was the hottest day of the year. I kept the front powder mirror down to keep an eye on Appa the whole trip. The three hour drive to Chennai was gruelling but we did stop for chai that Appa graciously took from me. I offered him a snack, and he accepted that with a smile, Then he looked out the window and asked for guavas ... he asked for them to be cut. When we had them cut, he gave each of us in the car a piece. It was his prasadam to us.

That is when I found out that Appa had not bathed in 32 years. His body has no odour. I noticed also that Appa's body was not sweating even though the rest of us in the car were profusely sweating. He remained absorbed in something within himself the whole time. Off and on he would open his eyes but then close them again.

Once we reached Chennai, the driver told us Appa would tell us where he wanted to go. We asked Appa if he wanted to go back to Tiruvannamalai and Appa responded with an enthusiastic "Yes". We got lunch from a good restaurant which Appa ate in the back seat of the taxi. After he had eaten he threw the stainless steel tumbler out the window and the taxi driver had to jump into heavy traffic to retrieve it. Then we were all on our way back to Tiruvannamalai.

I have no idea what to make of this trip. I got to be in Appa's company for six full hours. I am wondering if he was observing me while in meditation. I hoping he was dissolving some of the bad karma I am experiencing. I don't know what to make of the trip. I feel blessed though to have been in Tiruvannamalai and met Mookupodi Swamigal."

August 2009
Swamiji Frightened Us Away

"I had a darshan of the Swami on 21st August. He was staying at the high school on the girivalam road at the back of the mountain. I believe he is also called Mookupodi Samiyar (mookupodi-snuff).

Well, it goes like this: My mother wanted to do girivalam in an auto. So I, my wife and my mother hired an auto outside Ramanasaramam and were going around it when my mother asked the auto driver about the whereabouts of the swami. He said the swami is staying in the school which is on the girivalam route and promised to take us there. We were all excited. When we reached the school, the guard said that the swami had just left and pointed out the direction. The swami was just 50 yards away. So the auto driver took us near him. Then the strangest thing happened. The swami started shouting at us even before we got out of the auto. We were so scared we asked the auto driver to immediately vacate the place.

Mookupodi Swamigal at Navagraha Shrine, Girivalam Roadway

I cannot make any sense of this incident. Were we not spiritually mature enough to have darshan of swami? Or did he in fact benefit us spiritually in his own mysterious way, just like Seshadri Swamigal? Maybe, he is not the one to take some karma load off us. I really don't know."

January 2013
My Family's Experience with Mookupodi Swamigal

". . . I want to give my experience with Mooku Podi Swami. I live in the US and visited India on Vacation for three weeks. I got initiated into several Meditation techniques by Vethathiri Maharishi and then started to follow Sri Nithyananda Swami. There is a huge temple in the city where I live in the US ... I along with my wife, 10 year old son and my Father-in-law came to Tiruvannamalai on the evening of 5th January to be part of Nithyananda Swami's Birthday celebrations. I drove our car from Trichy and stayed in a hotel just outside Arunachala temple. Because of heavy traffic, I decided to take an auto rather than drive the car. That is when everything started.

The auto driver who took us to Nithyananda Swami's ashram on our route started to talk about Mookupodi Swami and suggested we attempt to see him once before we leave. Initially that thought did not get into me strongly. He mentioned that Mookupodi Swami was staying at that time in hotel called Arpana which is where we planned to go for Dinner on the 5th. We asked Arpana Hotel's watchman about Mookupodi Swami's whereabouts. The watchman replied that Mookupodi Swami was no longer staying in that hotel and had moved to a place near the Srinivasan school on the Girivalam path.

I requested the auto driver to pick up again the next day to visit Nithyananda Swami's ashram. The next day on our way to the Ashram he stopped the auto at a place before the Ashram and pointed out a old man and then said he is Mookupodi Swami. We just got out of the auto and stood on the other side of the road to pay our respects. I did not get any sort of opinion on Mookupodi Swami and prayed for his blessings. He had a look at our family and we felt really good about it. We had to leave to go to the Ashram as we had a Pada Puja scheduled with Nithyananda Swami.

After our time at the Ashram we came back to see Mookupodi Swami but could not find him. Then we went to Ramana Asramam and Visiri Samiyar Ashram and spend the whole day thereabouts. The next day (7th January) we were planning to return back to Trichy but I started to have a very strong urge to once again meet Mookupodi Swami before leaving. So we checked out of our hotel and headed out on the Girivalam path by 7.30 am. To our surprise, Mookupodi Swami was sitting on the same spot. We parked the car on the road, left our sandals in the car and got out of the car and sat on a bench which was around 30 foot away from him. It would have been around 20 minutes we just sat and got his darshan. He started to walk around and then came and stood near our car. I turned to him in the sitting position and we were looking at him for blessings. I was praying to get initiation into Atma Vidya (Ramana Maharishi's "Who Am I" self introspection). Other than that, I did not have any other feelings.

After seeing Mookupodi Swami standing near our car, the people around that place started to shout at us to open the car door as Mookupodi Swami wanted to sit inside. I immediately rushed and opened the door and requested him to sit in our car. He hesitated and did not sit. There was a small boy who urged us to remove the sandals out of the car. I removed them and then Mookupodi Swami came and sat in the passenger side. I took my son and then sat in the car. He did not talk anything to me and used sign languages and gave me directions. I finally ended up in a hotel called Udupi.

He went inside and showed sign language to me to make the chair available for him to sit. I did so and then I wanted to sit with my son, on the floor near Swami's foot. He urged us instead to sit on chairs at a nearby table. After tiffin we left. I wanted to drive around the Hill and return to the same spot where we started. He wanted to stop and then he got down. The same small boy asked me to do namaskarams and touch his feet. I did and when I tried to touch his foot, he nodded his head and signalled me not to touch. I obeyed his instructions and said good-bye. He gracefully nodded and gave me his send off. Then there were people around who came got his blessings.

My wife after getting his blessings wanted to donate some money for Anna Dhaan at the Ragavendra Ashram. It was just across the road. After visiting Ragavendra Ashram, I had the feeling again to take a photo of him so that I can have it in my Puja area for worship. We returned back to see him and he was not there. When I asked the people around that place they asked us to check at the Srinivasan school.

We went there and found him sitting at the hallway. I walked up to him and asked him if I can take a photo. He nodded his head stood up and walked out of the school straight to our car. So we had him seated again and this time all of our family sat inside. He signalled me to go anticlockwise. I started to drive. We went two full rounds this time and Swami by then started to take a nap. When the car came near the school, he signalled to stop and got down. I once again asked if I could take a snap and he nodded no again. That was the end. He walked straight inside the school and I did my namaskarams again and headed out.

July, 2014
Tracking down Mookupodi Samiyar

One town, many quests. Ramesh Babu, who runs a tea shop near Ramana Ashram, tells me about Mookupodi Samiyar, known for his affinity for mookupodi, which devotees readily offer him. The Samiyar is also known to have a weakness for deep-fried mixture, which would perhaps have earned him the nickname farsan baba in north India!

Every day, at the crack of dawn the Samiyar arrives at the Thiruner Annamalai Koyil to meditate. He keeps to himself, never talks, doesn't accept money and, occasionally, waves his wooden stick in blessing or his trisulam to ward off pesky devotees. But the devotees aren't leaving anytime soon. Babu says, "Years ago, a trader from Coimbatore fell on hard times and paid a visit to the Samiyar. Soon, his business turned around and in gratitude he gifted him a sedan worth Rs.8 lakh. He also employed a full-time chauffeur for him." The Samiyar now uses the car to make a fortnightly trip to Rameswaram or Kanyakumari. The rest of the time, the sedan idles nearby.

Not finding the holy man at his usual spot, I enlisted the help of an enterprising auto driver. We tracked him down to a municipality school in the area. The Samiyar sleeps in one of the vacant classrooms at the end of each day and that's where I find him. Waiting ahead, at the fast-asleep Samiyar's feet, is Rajam, a middle-aged woman from Puducherry. After an hour, we decided to leave without meeting him. This is Rajam's seventh attempt to meet the man. She tells me, "The first time I came, I was drowning in debt. My best friend, who was also my business associate, had cheated me of lakhs of rupees. One of my cheques had bounced, leading to legal action against me. The Samiyar shooed me away then. I went back dejected. But soon, things started looking up. The case was dropped and my finances were back on track. I now come every six months."

Samadhi

His body was kept at Seshadri Swami Ashram that day during which devotees of Mookupodi Swamigal discussed preparing a Samadhi Shrine. Several devotees offered property in Ramana Nagar for this purpose. But a majority felt it more appropriate that Swamigal be situated off the Girivalam Roadway more in the countryside. A devotee with open land opposite Vayu Lingam offered his property for Swamigal's samadhi and a large number of devotees agreed. Immediately arrangements were made to prepare a Shrine at that place. His body was entombed in Samadhi in a dedicated place opposite the Vayu Lingm on the Girivalam Roadway, late that night.