Velliangiri Mountains

What the texts say

1. Lineage text

   In his own chapter on these mountains, Sadhguru says they have been home to seers and sages for ages, that the southern yogic tradition calls them the Kailash of the South because Adiyogi walked here, and that his own bond with them goes back many lifetimes.

   Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga, Sadhguru and Arundhathi Subramaniam, "THE KAILASH OF THE SOUTH"

2. Lineage text

   He describes Adiyogi climbing to the summit and sitting there not in blissful meditation but in despondency that turned into fierce intensity, and says the mountains carry a different energy because of it. The yogis who came down from these hills, he writes, spoke of Adiyogi as Shambho.

   Adiyogi: The Source of Yoga, Sadhguru and Arundhathi Subramaniam, "THE KAILASH OF THE SOUTH"

3. Lineage text

   Sadhguru explains why the range is called the Seven Hills: the climb rises through seven undulations. On the wind-swept last peak, three huge boulders make a shelter like a small temple with a small linga. He adds that his guru walked this mountain and chose it as the place to leave his body.

   “this is not just a mountain, this is a temple for us”

   Shiva: Ultimate Outlaw, Sadhguru, "Velliangiri – Kailash of the South"

What tradition holds

Kept apart from the texts on purpose. These are held with respect, and they are not the same as a written source.

• Pilgrim tradition

  The story of Punyakshi, a young woman at the southern tip of India who waited to marry Shiva. When village elders faked a sunrise, Shiva turned back, and she left her body; she is remembered at Kanyakumari. Shiva then climbed Velliangiri and sat at its peak. Sadhguru tells this as the story that made the mountain sacred for many.

  Held by: Those who hold the mountain sacred, as retold by Sadhguru in Shiva: Ultimate Outlaw

What you will find today

A practice for this place

If you climb, walk in silence and take the seven hills one at a time, letting the effort itself be the practice. If you do not climb, sit at the foothills facing the peak for twenty minutes with your spine upright and your eyes resting on the mountain. Carry enough water, go with others, and respect the Forest Department's rules.