Bangaru Adigalar (1941-2023): The godman who brought women into priesthood
In an era marked by stringent religious rituals and customs, especially in traditional Hindu temples, Adigalar’s Melmaruvathur became a beacon for those often sidelined by strict Vedic practices.
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Bangaru Adigalarn (1941-2023) (Express File Photo) In the diverse tapestry of godmen and godwomen in South India, Bangaru Adigalar of Melmaruvathur, who passed away Thursday, was a luminary. He was 82.
Adigalar, born G Subramaniam, was not just the custodian of a significant religious movement, but also the torchbearer of a spiritual renaissance among the lower middle class Tamil population, especially women devotees. His legacy finds its roots in the unique confluence of venerable traditions and pioneering reforms, tailored to facilitate a space for women devotees in the spiritual regime, equal to what Tamil men found in places like Sabarimala or Lord Muruga temple in Palani.
As a school teacher in Sothupakkam, Adigalar traversed the dusty streets on his bicycle. His people skills, spiritual talents, and uncanny ability to resonate with the masses made him emerge as a godman of Adhiparasakthi temple, which started from a thatched cottage in Melmaruvathur over five decades ago.
At the kernel of his spiritual movement was its radical inclusivity. In an era marked by stringent religious rituals and customs, especially in traditional Hindu temples, Adigalar’s Melmaruvathur became a beacon for those often sidelined by strict Vedic practices.
His temple doors were open to all, obliterating the boundaries of caste, creed, and notably, gender. Women, particularly from the lower middle class, found in Adigalar an advocate like no other.
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