Sathuragiri hills - home of Siddhars and Mahalingam temple

Sathuragiri is a hill near Srivilliputhur and Madurai. It is the abode of the famous saints and devotees of Lord Shiva called Siddhars. Siddhars were learned men of olden times and were saints, doctors, alchemists and mysticists. The way to visit the Mahalingam temples on top is through a fabulous trek. Thousands of people do this perilous journey on new moon day. We had gone last week and it was an out of this world experience.

We all left Madurai at day break at 530 am in a hired Innova, went past Srivilliputhur and reached Thaniparai by 7am. The trek took 4.5 hours and we reached the top by 1130. We stayed overnight in a makeshift accomodation. It was a great experience in a land where no electricity and feeble mobile signal!

The pictures tell the story!

Thank you for the FLASH news :-)

Nice pics. Could you also please provide some background, dos and donts?

The trek usually takes 4-6 hours depending on fitness levels. Better to start 5am so you can reach before noon. The path is pretty rough and so one needs to exercise caution while climbing and have good footwear. Donot hang around alone as this is a forest area! There is no proper establishment for stay on top! So meet the temple priest or shop owner to get a shack for the night if you plan to stay. Of you are going to return same day, then start back by 3 latest. Donot get stuck there after sunset. Ideally it is too hectic to climb back same day.
Once you reach sathuragiri, it is better you engage a guide if you want to go to thavasi parai. The route is not clear an not possible to go without a guide.

Thank you!