Siddha
Siddha is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of perfection of the intellect as well as liberation or enlightenment. In Jainism, the term is used to refer to the liberated souls. Siddha may also refer to one who has attained a siddhi, paranormal capabilities.
Siddhas may broadly refer to siddhars, naths, ascetics, sadhus, or yogis because they all practice sādhanā.
Jainism
In Jainism, the term siddha refers to liberated souls who have destroyed all karmas and obtained moksha. They are free from the transmigratory cycle of birth and death and are above Arihantas. Siddhas do not have a body; they are soul in its purest form. They reside in the Siddhashila, which is situated at the top of the Universe. They are formless and have no passions and therefore are free from all temptations. They do not have any karmas and they do not collect new karmas.The Śvetāmbara Ācārāṅga Sūtra 1.197 describes siddhas in this way:
According to Jains, siddhas have eight specific characteristics or qualities. The ancient Tamil Jain Classic 'Choodamani Nigandu' describes the eight characteristics in a poem, which is given below.
The following table summarizes the eight supreme qualities of a liberated soul.
| Quality | Meaning | Manifestation |
| Kśāyika samyaktva | infinite faith or belief in the tattvas or essential principles of reality | manifested on the destruction of the faith-deluding karma |
| Kevala Jnāna | infinite knowledge | on the destruction of the knowledge-obscuring karma. |
| Kevaladarśana | infinite perception | on the destruction of the perception-obscuring karma |
| Anantavīrya | infinite power | on the destruction of the obstructive karma |
| Sūksmatva | fineness | manifested on the destruction of the life- determining karma |
| Avagāhan | inter-penetrability | manifested on the destruction of the name-determining karma |
| Agurulaghutva | literally, neither heavy nor light | manifested on the destruction of the status-determining karma |
| Avyābādha | undisturbed, infinite bliss | manifested on the destruction of the feeling-producing karma |
Because of the quality of Sūksmatva, the liberated soul is beyond sense-perception and its knowledge of the substances is direct, without the use of the senses and the mind. The quality of avagāhan means that the liberated soul does not hinder the existence of other such souls in the same space.
A soul, after attaining siddhahood, goes to the top of the loka (as per Jain cosmology) and stays there for eternity.
Hinduism
In Hinduism, the first usage of the term siddha occurs in the Maitreya Upanishad in chapter Adhya III where the writer of the section declares "I am Siddha."Siddhashrama
In Hindu theology, Siddhashrama is a secret land deep in the Himalayas, where great yogis, sadhus and sages who are siddhas live. The concept is similar to Tibetan mystical land of Shambhala.Siddhashrama is referred in many Indian epics and Puranas including Ramayana and Mahabharata. In Valmiki's Ramayana it is said that Viswamitra had his hermitage in Siddhashrama, the erstwhile hermitage of Vishnu, when he appeared as the Vamana avatar. He takes Rama and Lakshmana to Siddhashrama to exterminate the rakshasas who are disturbing his religious sacrifices.