The Tamil Siddhas are a religious order of mystics belonging to the eighth century.They are part of a larger movement which spread all over south Asia, from Sri Lanka in the south to Tibet in the north, between the seventh and eleventh centuries. Tamil Siddhas are mystic worshippers of
Lord Shiva, who is the unqualified and ultimate reality beyond form or comprehension. They consider
Shakti as the divine force within the physical body itself, which is accessible.
Like the other Siddhas, Tamil siddhas are yogis, who have perfected themselves. Their writings encode philosophical viewpoints and yogic practices. They have also written alchemical recipes for herbal tinctures and base metal amalgams. All these writings were presented in poetic form, with difficult meters used in the ancient Tamil Sangam age. These writings are ambiguous, using complicated imagery and motifs, and have still not been translated.
