This is a story from seventh century CE. There was once a Pandiyan king called Varaguna. One day, while on a hunting trip, he lost track of time. It was only when dusk had fallen that he realised that he was deep inside the forest. He urgedhis horse to gallop faster so that they could be out of the forest as soon as possible.His horse trampled over a poor brahmin who had just retired for the night under a tree.
The king, remained ignorant of this incident, busy as he was, in his race to get back to his palace on time. His men, who were following him, later told him what had happened. The king, a good and god-fearing man, was upset, and did all he could by way of prayaschita or atonement. However, the brahmahathi, or the spirit of the brahmin, clung to the king. The king prayed for deliverance.
One day, a voice asked him to go to Tiruvidaimarudur, a well-known pilgrimage destination for devotees of Shiva. The Shiva Lingam at the temple here is believed to be swayambhu or a self-manifested one. In the process of teaching and demonstrating procedures for worship to the saptarishi or the seven great sages (Vasishta, Bharadwaja, Jamadagni, Gautama, Atri, Vishwamitra, and Agastya), Shiva is believed to have worshipped himself here.
Shiva is called Mahalingaswamy in this temple. The temple is considered to be one of the six most sacred places dedicated to Shiva. The temple has a five-tier gopuram or tower.
The Other Gate,
When Varaguna was entering the temple with the fervent prayer that he be absolved of his sin, the brahmahathi leapt off his back and has since sat in the same corner.
It is believed that the brahmahathi is still waiting at the spot for the king to return. Even today, all the devotees enter the temple through one gate and leave through another to avoid being caught by the brahmahathi.
Om Namah Shivay
No comments:
Post a Comment