Padma Shri award has been conferred on spiritual Guru Sri Bangaru Adigalar of Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam. Bangaru Adigalar (78) is reverently called ‘Amma’ by devotees.
He established Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam, a temple for Adiparasakthi at Melmaruvathur, nearly 100 km from Chennai, in 1977. Before the temple was established, a ‘swayambu’ (self-manifested or not made by human hands) had emerged beneath a neem tree near the temple.
The peetam currently runs various educational institutions for the benefit of devotees and the poor, including the Melmaruvathur Adhiparasakthi Institute of Medical Science and Research. Besides, the peetam conducts various social service programmes such as free medical camps and free marriages.
