Sathya Gnana Sabai, Vadalur

Sathya Gnana Sabai, the 'Hall of True Knowledge', is a temple in Vadalur, Cuddalore district, built in 1872 by the saint Ramalinga Swamigal, known as Vallalar. It is open to people of every caste, though those who eat meat worship only from outside, and Vallalar meant it as a sabha, a common place where ordinary people could gather and meet those on a spiritual path.

The building is octagonal, a shape said to stand for the eight bones of the human skull, and it brings together three halls: the Chirchabai, linked to the moon or left eye; the golden Porchabai, linked to the sun or right eye; and the Gnana Sabai, standing for the third eye of wisdom. Seven curtains hide the sanctum and are drawn back only on Thai Poosam. The four towers of the Chidambaram Nataraja temple can be seen from the sabha. Nearby is the Dharma Salai, where free meals are served to thousands, cooked on a stove first lit by Vallalar, and the samadhi of Kalpattu Ayya, one of his disciples.