In the year 2012, His Divine Holiness Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam was appointed as the successor to the Madurai Aadheenam in the southernmost and ancient city of Madurai. The Madurai Aadheenam – the oldest monastic order in the world – traces its origins to more than 3000 years ago to Meenakshi, the Enlightened Warrior Queen of Madurai. Revered as an incarnation of mother goddess she created a lineage of Siddhas – or mystics – who explored and mastered various mystical sciences including healing sciences, manipulating matter and physics and the science of enlightenment or living life in fulfilment and excitement.
The Madurai Aadheenam was revived 1500 years ago by another great incarnation called Thirugnanasambandar. Thirugnanasambandar who became a saint at the tender age of 3 through a divine vision of the Bhagawan Shiva and Devi Parvathi revived Hinduism – which had decayed over the millenia into unthinking superstitious and atheistic practices – across the country and re-established the Madurai Aadheenam as the seat of excellence.
The current 292nd pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam, on 27 April, 2012, formally announced His Divine Holiness to be his successor and the 293rd head of the prestigious Madurai Aadheenam. In the coronation function, he declared:
“We hereby declare 293rd Guru Maha sannidhanam Srila Sri Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam Sri Gnanasambhandha Desiga Paramacharya Swamigal as my lawful successor, descendent, Inheritor of Madurai Aadheenam, Thiruganasambhandha Aadheenam, having all the power duties applications ritual and customary rights being performed enjoyed vested in the Madurai Aadheenam. We hereby declare 293rd Guru Maha Sannidhanam Srila Sri Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam Sri Gnanasambhandha Desiga Paramacharya Swamigal would be competent to function as my lawful successor.”
~ 293rd Pontiff of the Madurai Adheenam Arunagiri Gnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigal
The current Pontiff of the Madurai Adheenam Arunagiri Gnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigal in his speech after coronation of Swami Nithyananda as his successor extolled his accomplishments for more than an hour. He said:
“The decision of the coronation of the 293rd sannidhanam is also the decision of the lord Shiva. Actually it is not in our hands, it was not, it is not in the hands of the 292nd Guru Mahasannidhanam but it is absolutely left to lord Shiva’s activities, action. God has selected a dynamic person for me. Dynamic, not only dynamic person but also gigantic person. A young person; the greatest propagandist of Hindu religion in this world. Sri Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam Paramacharya Swamigal is one of the grand leaders in Hindu religion. We are very glad and proud that we are finding out a successor who should be appointed after a long time. As far as Madurai Aadheenam is concerned, the 291st Guru Mahasannidanam, 290th Guru Mahasannidanam, 289th Guru Mahasannidanam, all were genius and sages and saints. Therefore we thought, we had a great mind that our successor should be a genius and a sage and saint. So according to the great grace of the almighty lord Shiva and Parvathi Devi, God has given a very powerful, youngest, youth and a vital person for my successor. It is a noble gift of lord Shiva.
Our 293rd Guru Mahasannidanam Srila Sri Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam Paramacharya Swamigal is also a deep, not only deep, deepest disciple of Saint Thirugnanasambandar. Not only that, he may be called as avathara of Thirugnanasambandar.
He is one of the 100 most spiritually influential personalities is what Mind Body Spirit magazine in London has published.
The 293rd Guru Mahasannidanam, we have coronated him as the Peetadhipathi of Madurai Aadheenam, he will be not only the 293rd Guru Mahasannidanam but also he will be treated as Thirugnanasambandar. It is the traditional customary rules and regulations of the Madurai Aadheenam.”
~ Current Pontiff of the Madurai Adheenam Arunagiri Gnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigal
The Pontiff concluded saying that His Divine Holiness Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam reminded him of the great Saint Thirugnanasambandar and that his advent too was to bring spiritual legitimacy back to Hinduism and make it relevant to the modern world.
The Pontiff has also on multiple occasions in the ensuing months after the coronation expressed his awe and admiration of the sublime combination of power and responsible compassion of His Divine Holiness Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam.