Ride a country bus through Tamil Nadu with the radio on and, sooner or later, you will hear it — a woman’s voice climbing a long ladder of names, each rung a town, each town a goddess. Madurai’s Mīnākṣī. Kāñcipuram’s Kāmākṣī. Kāśī’s Viśālākṣī. Mysore’s Cāmuṇḍī. The song does not pause to explain. It simply walks the land, village after village, naming the Mother where She lives in each one, until the whole map of the country has become a single body called by a hundred local names. To a stranger it sounds like a list. To the grandmother mouthing along in the next seat, it is a map of home — and home is the Goddess Herself.

This is the heart of the Śākta vision, and it is not poetry laid over geography as decoration. It rests on one of the oldest and most startling cosmologies the tradition holds: that the land itself is the body of the Goddess. The Śakti Pīṭha story tells how the goddess Satī, daughter of Dakṣa, gave up her body in grief at her father’s insult to her lord Śiva; how Śiva, wild with loss, carried her form across the sky in a dance that threatened to unmake the world; and how Viṣṇu’s discus, to release him, parted that body into many pieces. Where each piece came to earth — an eye, a tongue, a heart, an anklet — a pīṭha arose, a seat of the Goddess, a place of pilgrimage and healing. Tradition counts fifty-one such seats, scattered from the Himālaya to Sri Lanka, from the western deserts to Bengal. The grief became geography. The broken body became the holy land. And so, in the Śākta reading, there is no spot of ground that is merely ground: every hill, every river-bend, every village shrine is a limb of one living Mother.

Few places hold this more tenderly than Melmaruvathur, the Ādiparāśakti seat some ninety kilometres south of Chennai, where — unusually, radiantly — devotees of every caste, creed, and gender step together into the sanctum and circle the trident of Om Sakthi, all of them robed in the same red, because before the Mother there are no ranks. The song below carries that same democracy of devotion. It refuses to rank Her temples. It names them as equals, as a child names every room of the house it grew up in.

The song that carries this litany reached a wide audience through Tamil cinema and the living Adhiparasakthi tradition. Tamil, worth noting, is among the oldest continuously spoken languages on earth; its script has changed so little across the centuries that a reader today can still meet ancient verses with little difficulty — so this list of names is itself a thread of unbroken memory. Here is the song in full, exactly as it is sung, followed by a rough translation.

Maruvathur Om Sakthi Song Lyrics in Tamil

Maruvathur Om Sakthi Magamaayi Karumari
Uraiyooru Vaekkaali Ujjaini Maakkaali
Kolluru Mookamba Kaedhaaram Sreegouri
Mayavaram Abhayaambikaa

Madurai Nagar Meenakshi Kanchipuram Kamatchi
Kaasi Visalaaakshi Thirukkadavur Abhirami
Chidambarathu Sivakami Sringaeri Saradaamba
Thiruvarur Kamalaambiga

Naagamba Yogaamba Lalithaamba Jagathaamba
Balaamba Neelamba Kanakaamba Soudaamba
Sivakaali Navakaali Thirisooli Subhaneeli
Sridevi Bhoodevi Jayadevi Malayarasi

Ammaayi Bommaayi Anbaayi Puzhumaayi
Ponnaayi Poovaayi Yaeraayi Veeraayi
Aaralvaisakkiyamma Vaadi Aarani Padavaettamma
Thirumamboor Meaghavalli Thaayae Thirikoodal Maduravalli

Pudukottai Bhuvaneswari Nanganallur Rajeswari
Mannadiyil Malleswari Maadhaeswaram Maadhaeswari
Alangaara Kalyaani Naamakkal Arukkaani
Angaali Sengaali Sandhoshi Maadha

Mylapore Karpagamae Malaikkottai Shenbagamae
Sellaai Silambaayi Kannaatha Vaa Vaa
Kanjanur Vanadurga Maavooru Srikaali
Kailaasap Parvathi Mysooru Saamundi

Malarael Thirumaayi Vazhikaattum Thirupaachi
Umayaamba Thaenaanda Malaiyamma Thaenamma
Thiruvathur Vadivudayaal Kaalaasti Gnyanaambal
Maharaasiyae Engal Paalayathaamma

Viraali Malai Maekanmma Mookkoodal Bhavani
Karaikkudiyamma Koppudaiyamma
Srisakthi Jayasakthi Sivasakthi Navasakthi
Paanjaali Raakkaayi Bhairavi Saambhavi
Thiruvaanaikkavaalum Agilaanda Eswari
Thirundhadha Pei Otta Nee Ingu Vaadi

Om Sakthi Om Sakthi Maruvathur Om Sakthi
Om Sakthi Om Sakthi Ulagaalum Om Sakthi
Vaa Sakthi Vaa Sakthi Vaa Sakthi Vaa Sakthi
Uyir Kaakka Vaa Sakthi…

Yellaithanai Kaakkindra Kanayaakumari
Annamalaiyaarin Unna Muniyamma
Saethiyaar Thoppu Theepaanchiyamma
Koyambathurin Koniyammavae

Saththiyamangalam Bannaariamma
Kollimalai Vaazhum Ettukkai Amma
Baageswari Vaageswari Vaidheeswari Logeswari
Sreesailam Vaazhgindra Brahmarathaavae

Amudhaeswari Kumudhaeswari Jagadeeswari Parameswari
Yaapoorai Aalgindra Vaidaaginithaayae
Rameswarathin Parvadhavardhini Kaasinagarannai Annapoorani
Malakkottai Vaazhum Mathuvaar Kuzhali
Thiruchengottamma Ardhanaareswari
Thirupathoor Poomaari Theeyaaga Urumaari Sivathaandavamaada
Ododi Vaammaa

Om Sakthi Om Sakthi Maruvathur Om Sakthi
Om Sakthi Om Sakthi Ulagaalum Om Sakthi
Vaa Sakthi Vaa Sakthi Vaa Sakthi Vaa Sakthi
Uyir Kaakka Vaa Sakthi…

Thambuchettiththeru Kaalikaambaavae
Teynaampettai Deivam Maalaiyammavae
Naattarasankottai Naachiyammavae
Aathaakaruppooru Pettikkaaliyae

Paechip Paaraiyil Ulla Paechiyammavae
Patteeswaran Koil Durgaiammavae
Nellaiyai Aalgindra Gandhimadhiyae
Sankaran Koil Gomathiyamma

Maelmalayanoor Angaalamma Adi Gangaiyamma
Thaayae Thulasiyamma
Vembuliammavae Thulukkanathamma
Uppiliammavae Kulukkiyamma

Senniyamma Adi Ponniyamma
Engal Kanniyamma Thaayae Selliyamma
Muthumaalaiyamma Jeyamaathamma
Adi Sindhaamaniyamma Naruliyamma

Urangini Ammavae Kolavizhi Amma
Sundari Soundari Solaiyamma
Azhagamma Vaa Vaa Jagamma Vaa Vaa
Adangaadha Pei Otta Maayamma Vaa Vaa

Om Sakthi Om Sakthi Maruvathur Om Sakthi
Om Sakthi Om Sakthi Ulagaalum Om Sakthi
Vaa Sakthi Vaa Sakthi Vaa Sakthi Vaa Sakthi
Uyir Kaakka Vaa Sakthi…

Kulasekarapattinam Muthaara Ammavae
Kuththaalam Sakthi Paraasakthi Thaayae
Paramakkudi Vaazhum Muththaalammavae
Pattukottai Deivam Naadiammavae

Kodiyeedaiyamma Thiruvudaiyamma
Kadumbaadi Ilangaali Gaandhaariyamma
Thiruvakkaraiyin Vakkirak Kaali
Siruvaachooralae En Madurakkaali

Saleththu Raajakaaliyammavae
Chingalak Karaiyil Vaazhvabhal Neeyae
Chottakkaraiyin Bhagavathiyamma
Thirumullaivayil Vaishnaviyamma

Pambaimani Chandai Idhu Sindhum Oli Sandhangalil
En Paattukkaekka Vaadi En Thaayae
Mannum Uyar Vinnum Un Kannin Nagak Kandaalae
Udaippattu Chidarum Urumaari Pogum

Ennai Ingu Thaedi Ezhunthodi Vaadi
Unai Vaendi Azhaithaen Uyiraalae Paadi
Kadalukku Moodi Ulagathil Aedhu
Kaatrukku Vaeli Kidayaadhu Vaadi

Thanjam Unnai Thanjam
Ena Kenjum Inam Nanmaiyai Thara
Annai Thirukkayiyaalae Arul Vanangidu Thaayae
Vanjam Nayavanjam Adhan Nenjam Ini Anjumpadi
Mannum Thuyar Kanneer Vida Kodhithezhundhiduvaayae
Varavaendum Varavaendum Renuka Parameswari
Maasani Amma En Thaayae

Pathinaezhaam Thirusoolam Edukkindra Oru Kaalam
Uyirthinnum Pei Otta Vaadi Varaahi
Maayangalai Ketta Marmangalai Vaitha Aevalgalai
Seidha Idanjalgalai Adi
Theepatta Rasampola Oor Vittu Nee Otta
Venkarai Ammaavae Vaadiyamma
Nee Vaadiyae Vaadi Poongodhaiyamma
Nee Vaadiyae Vaadi En Muppaathamma

Aeliyambedu Abhiraamasundari
Aezhaezhu Logangal Aalgindra Sankari
Paadi Unai Paadi Adaindhomae Nalamkodi
Adi Devi Arulaadi Varavaendum Enaiththaedi
Thirumaalin Thunaiyaalae Sriranganaayaki
Vadivaelin Manayaalae Deivaanaiyamma
Panrutti Vaazhgindra Kannikaaparameswari
Dindukkal Thaayae Kottaimaari
Thiruchaanoor Alamelu Mahishaasoora Mardhini
Punnainalloor Maari Kobaadaikaari
Inimaelum Thayangaadhae Ulagamdhaan Thaangaadhae
Thirupaachi Veeramma Veliyae Nee Vaadi
Aniyaayam Jeyikkaadhae Jeyithaalum Nilaikkaadhae
Amma Un Sathiyamae Vellum Adhu Nichayamae
Vaadiyamma… vaadiyamma… vaadiyamma…
Amma.Amma.Amma.amma.Amma.Amma…
(Om Sakthi… Maruvathur Om Sakthi…)

Rough Translation from Tamil

Maruvathur Om Sakthi, the all-powerful goddess, is the one who resides in Maruvathur. She is also known as Magamaayi and Karumari, and is worshipped in various holy places like Uraiyoor, Ujjaini, Kolluru, Mookamba, Kaedhaaram, Sreegouri, Mayavaram, and Abhayaambikaa.

The goddess is worshipped in many forms, including Madurai Nagar Meenakshi, Kanchipuram Kamatchi, Kaasi Visalaaakshi, Thirukkadavur Abhirami, Chidambarathu Sivakami, Sringaeri Saradaamba, Thiruvarur Kamalaambiga, and many others.

The song lists many other forms of the goddess, such as Naagamba, Yogaamba, Lalithaamba, Jagathaamba, Balaamba, Neelamba, Kanakaamba, Soudaamba, Sivakaali, Navakaali, Thirisooli, Subhaneeli, Sridevi, Bhoodevi, Jayadevi, Malayarasi, and more.

The goddess is addressed with various endearing names such as Ammaayi, Bommaayi, Anbaayi, Puzhumaayi, Ponnaayi, Poovaayi, Yaeraayi, Veeraayi, and so on.

The song also mentions various holy places where the goddess is worshipped, such as Aaralvaisakkiyamma, Vaadi, Aarani, Padavaettamma, Thirumamboor Meaghavalli, Thaayae Thirikoodal Maduravalli, Pudukottai Bhuvaneswari, Nanganallur Rajeswari, Mannadiyil Malleswari, Maadhaeswaram Maadhaeswari, Alangaara Kalyaani, Naamakkal Arukkaani, Angaali Sengaali Sandhoshi Maadha, Mylapore Karpagamae, Malaikkottai Shenbagamae, Sellaai Silambaayi, Kannaatha Vaa Vaa, Kanjanur Vanadurga, Maavooru Srikaali, Kailaasap Parvathi, Mysooru Saamundi, and so on.

The song concludes with the chant “Om Sakthi Om Sakthi Maruvathur Om Sakthi,” which pays tribute to the all-powerful goddess and her various forms.

Verse 1: Maruvathur Om Sakthi, the mother of the universe
Magamaayi Karumari, the dark goddess of death
Uraiyooru Vaekkaali, the goddess of victory
Ujjaini Maakkaali, the fierce goddess of time
Kolluru Mookamba, the goddess who blesses with speech
Kaedhaaram Sreegouri, the goddess of compassion
Mayavaram Abhayaambikaa, the goddess who gives fearlessness

Verse 2: Madurai Nagar Meenakshi, the goddess of Madurai
Kanchipuram Kamatchi, the goddess of Kanchipuram
Kaasi Visalaaakshi, the goddess of Varanasi
Thirukkadavur Abhirami, the goddess of Thirukkadavur
Chidambarathu Sivakami, the goddess of Chidambaram
Sringaeri Saradaamba, the goddess of Sringaeri
Thiruvarur Kamalaambiga, the goddess of Thiruvarur

Verse 3: Naagamba Yogaamba Lalithaamba Jagathaamba
Balaamba Neelamba Kanakaamba Soudaamba
Sivakaali Navakaali Thirisooli Subhaneeli
Sridevi Bhoodevi Jayadevi Malayarasi,

various names for the goddess

Chorus: Ammaayi Bommaayi Anbaayi Puzhumaayi
Ponnaayi Poovaayi Yaeraayi Veeraayi
Aaralvaisakkiyamma Vaadi Aarani Padavaettamma
Thirumamboor Meaghavalli Thaayae Thirikoodal Maduravalli,

names of the goddess

Verse 4: Pudukottai Bhuvaneswari, the goddess of Pudukottai
Nanganallur Rajeswari, the goddess of Nanganallur
Mannadiyil Malleswari, the goddess of Mannadi
Maadhaeswaram Maadhaeswari, the goddess of Maadhaeswaram
Alangaara Kalyaani, the auspicious goddess of beauty
Naamakkal Arukkaani, the goddess of Naamakkal
Angaali Sengaali Sandhoshi Maadha, the goddess of happiness

Verse 5: Mylapore Karpagamae, the goddess of Mylapore
Malaikkottai Shenbagamae, the goddess of Malaikkottai
Sellaai Silambaayi Kannaatha Vaa Vaa, various names for the goddess
Kanjanur Vanadurga, the goddess of Kanjanur
Maavooru Srikaali, the goddess of Maavooru
Kailaasap Parvathi, the goddess of Kailash
Mysooru Saamundi, the goddess of Mysore

If the land is truly the body of the Mother — if Kāśī is Her face and the river is Her vein and the hill outside your town is the curve of Her shoulder — then ecology was never a policy and never a science alone. It is devotion, made literal. To foul the river is not to break a regulation; it is to wound Her throat. To strip the forest is not to lose a resource; it is to scar Her skin. The song names fifty, a hundred places and calls every one of them Mother, and in doing so it says the thing our age most needs to remember and most works to forget: the body of this planet is not separate from our own — it is the elder body that holds ours, and its honour and our own are a single honour. The pilgrim who would not dream of spitting in the sanctum walks out and poisons the river that is the same Goddess, only because he forgot, for a moment, that the holiness did not stop at the temple wall.

That forgetting is the only real distance between us and the world the song describes. The remedy is not grand. It is to let the litany do its slow work — to begin, wherever you are, to hear the place-names around you the way the grandmother on the bus hears them: not as addresses, but as Her names.

References

1. The Śakti Pīṭha tradition — the dismemberment of Satī’s body and its falling across the subcontinent to form the seats of the Goddess — is elaborated in the Devī Bhāgavata Purāṇa and the Kālikā Purāṇa. For a scholarly overview of the fifty-one pīṭhas and their body-part associations, see D. C. Sircar, The Śākta Pīṭhas (Motilal Banarsidass, 2nd ed., 1973).
2. Kinsley, David. Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition. University of California Press, 1986 — on the theology of the land as the Goddess’s body and the regional manifestations named in devotional litanies like this one.
3. The Arulmigu Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam, Melmaruvathur, Tamil Nadu — the living Om Sakthi tradition from which this song takes its refrain, notable for admitting worshippers of every caste, creed, and gender into the sanctum.