Adiparashakti, Melmaruvathur

The 1966-founded Adi Parashakti Siddhar Peetam at Melmaruvathur in Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu — a modern Shakti-centred spiritual movement founded by Bangaru Adigalar (born 1941, called Amma or Thaayumanavar), who claims continuous divine possession by the goddess Adi Parashakti. The movement is distinctive in Tamil Nadu for its open-to-all-castes practice, red clothing for all devotees regardless of gender, and its emphasis on women-led worship. The temple complex includes the Adi Parashakti shrine, a 1,008-pillar hall, and the Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam charitable trust which runs 100-plus educational institutions (including the Adhiparasakthi Engineering College, 1984) and medical facilities across Tamil Nadu. The annual Mahalakshmi Festival in October draws over a million pilgrims. The movement's social-reform orientation makes it a modern Shakta parallel to Narayana Guru's Kerala reform.