The Lord in the middle of the river- Reliever of all Doshams!

A view of the Nattatreeswara Temple from the banks of River Cauvery

Sage Agasthya was summoned by Lord Shiva. The Occasion - the celestial wedding of Shiva with Parvathi in Kailash, to which all Gods and Rishis were invited. Lord Shiva was concerned that the South may go down because of this unexpected movement of visitors to the North and hence requested Agasthya to maintain the balance by stationing himself down South. Agasthya was disappointed. "What have I done that I do not get to witness the celestial wedding?" he asked sadly. Lord Shiva promised him that only he could provide this balance and hence was being commissioned on the task and the Celestial wedding will be shown to him wherever he was.

Happy with this, Sage Agasthya agreed to move to South India. Lord Shiva gave him five tasks to accomplish:
1. To provide a Jeevanadhi (a perennial water source) to South India
2. To put an end to Illvalan and Vatapi, the rulers of the city of Manimathi, who were cruel to Brahmins and subjects
3. To support Rama in vanquishing Ravana
4. To create a Sangam for Tamil literature
5. To enhance medicine through the age old secrets of the Rishis

 There are two versions of how River Cauvery came into existence. The first version is that Sage Agasthya carried the water of seven holy rivers in his Kamandalu, and when he was meditating, Lord Ganesha came in the form of a crow, and toppled the Kamandalu, thus facilitating the creation of River Cauvery.

The other version is that Cauvery(Kaveri) was Vishnumaaya born as the daughter of Kavera Maharishi and Sage Agasthya took her as his second wife after Lopamudra, the daughter of the Vidharbha King. Vishnumaaya agreed to marry Agasthya with the condition that she would run as a perennial river in order to help her father attain Moksha. Agasthya agreed to the condition and took her in his Kamandalu and the rest is as above.

Once River Cauvery came into existence, Sage Agasthya proceeded with the killing of Illvalan and Vatapi. They were the sons of Sage Durvasa and Ajamukhi, the sister of Shurapadma. In order to rid himself from the Brahmahathi Dosha, Sage Agasthya created a lingam right in the middle of the river Cauvery with sand and started meditating before the same. Since this Ishwara was in the middle of the river (நடு + ஆறு ) he came to be known as "Nattatreeswara".(நட்டாற்றீஸ்வரர் )

Sri Nattatreeswara - the sand lingam installed by Sage Agasthya

It was the first day in the Tamil month of Chithirai (April 14th usually) when Sage Agasthya came out of meditation, having been rid of Brahma Hathi Dosha. When he tried to dissolve the lingam made of sand, he found that it had hardened and he was unable to move it from where he had installed it. At this point, he heard Lord Shiva instruct him to leave the Lingam where it was, for the Lord had decided to stay there in the middle of the river, to rid all those who worshipped him on the first day of Chithirai from all the Doshas that they have been afflicted with.

Sage Agasthya happily left the Lingam where it was. Since it had been installed on a small hillock in the middle of the river, all that he could offer to the Lord was porridge made of Bajra and yoghurt. (கம்பங்கூழ் ). Till date, this ritual is being followed. Mr Gandhi, the Secretary of the temple trust, tells us that on the first day of Chithirai, a minimum of one lakh people gather at the Nattatreeswarar Temple for worshipping the Lord and relieving themselves of all doshas. He says they grind around 15 bags of Bajra brought all the way from Tiruvannamalai and prepare about 150 drums of porridge. This is then mixed with 5000 litres of curd brought specially for this purpose from Erode and offered as prasadam to all the devotees who visit on the first day of Chithirai.

How does one reach the temple?

The Coracles waiting to take visitors to the Nattatreeswara Temple

During the months when the river is in full flow, the only means of reaching the temple is by coracles (பரிசல் ). The boatman charges Rs.10 per person for two way transportation. But during the month of April, the flow of water is reduced, the dam is closed and people can either walk across the river or drive down.

Mr. Gandhi, further mentioned that efforts are on to construct a bridge at a cost of Rs. 2.25 crores across the river to the temple, with the support of the Electricity Department and approvals from Water Resource Organisation. He narrated how they were able to establish that the temple was exactly in the middle of the river not just length wise but also breadthwise. The river is 760 kms long out of which this temple is located at 380 kms from either side thereby making it the exact central location.

Not just this, there are several other interesting features in the temple.

Sthala Vriksham : The sthala vriksham at this temple is the Athi Maram (Fig Tree). It is indeed a wonder how this tree grows on a rock in the hillock. It is also equally amazing that no new branches have sprouted in this tree for several decades. There is a Ganesha installed under the Sthala Vriksham facing the Cauvery, and is called "Kaveri Kanda Vinayagar".

Sthala Vriksham at Sri Nattatreeswara Temple, Erode

Walking Muruga: 

Lord Muruga is found here in a walking posture with a parrot in his hand. It is believed that when Lord Agasthya came here to worship Lord Shiva, Lord Muruga went forward to receive him and hence is found in this posture. The Parrot in Muruga's hand is believed to be Saint Arunagirinathar.

Lord Muruga in a walking posture with parrot in hand

See the right foot being ahead of the left!

Goddess Nallanayaki: 

The Goddess is known as Nallanayaki and is found in a seperate shrine. Adi Pooram is celebrated in her shrine with great festivity when 108 Sankabishekam is performed.

Clean Cauvery Yatra:

Mr. Gandhi further mentioned that about 350 ascetics from different mutts have been proceeding on an annual Clean Cauvery Yatra for three years now, with a mission to spread awareness about cleaning the river Cauvery. They start their yatra from Talacauvery and go up to Kaveripoompattinam, visiting and worshipping at various shrines along the way. They perform special prayers and poojas at the Nattatreeswara Temple, as it makes up the midpoint.

With Mr Gandhi, the Secretary of the Temple Trust, and other officials of the temple.
To my right is Ms Kasturi Prakash,, a close friend and our hostess for the trip

How to get here:

Nearest Railway Station: Erode

By Road: From Erode, proceed towards the Kodumudi - Karur Road. After about 13 kms, you will reach Chavadipalayam Pudur. At the four road junction there, proceed east for about 2 kms to reach the banks of the Cauvery from where you have to take the coracle to the temple. There is a board at Chavadipalayam pudur junction.

Temple Timings:

6.30 am - 12.30 pm
3.30 pm - 6 pm
On the first day of Chithirai, the temple is open through the day.

Contact Details:
Mr. Gandhi, Secretary - 98420 22017

A view of the River Cauvery from the Nattatreeswara Temple

Sri Sangameshwarar Temple, Erode

The tamil month of Aadi has several special features to it. "Aadi pattam thedi vidhai" is a famous tamil saying. Aadi is the month when farmers sow new crops in their fields. It is the time when fresh water rises in the river and special prayers are offered to Mother Cauvery to yield enough water for a prosperous harvest. This festival is called Aadi Padhinettu (18th day in the month of Aadi) or Aadi Perukku. Bathing in holy waters is said to bring enhanced blessings in the month of Aadi. "Aadi Sevvai Thedi Kuli, Araitha Manjalai Poosi Kuli" is a famous saying. If bathing in a holy river is considered auspicious, how about bathing in a place which is a Triveni Sangam (confluence of three rivers).

Just like the Triveni Sangam in Allahabad wherein Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi merge together, the Triveni Sangam of South India is in Erode where  three holy rivers, Cauvery, Bhavani and Amudha merge together. This place is popularly known as Bhavani Kooduthurai and several thousands of people gather here during Aadi Amavashya to offer prayers for their ancestors . It is believed that if final rites are performed here for those whose death has been untimely , their souls will rest in peace. Also when bodies are cremated here, the skull of the deceased does not burst which is of unique significance. Thousands of devotees gather here during Aadi perukku to take a holy dip in the river and float flowers, lamps and germinated seeds as offerings to the holy rivers.

The Sangameshwara temple stands close to the confluence of these three rivers. The temple is unique in very many different ways. The whole temple is considered to be a Shiva lingam and therefore the Nandi is found outside the temple near the car park in a seperate mandapam facing the temple.

As we enter the temple, the sthala puranam or history of the temple is clearly written (only in tamil though) so that the devotees can have a complete understanding about the significance of the temple before moving through the various shrines. The temple is very well maintained with small gardens and resting places. An interesting and thankfully useful feature is that devotees are allowed to take pictures after depositing Rs.25/- in the counter.

The Adikesava Perumal and Soundaravalli thaayar shrines along with the Narasimha shrine in between are found in the beginning of the temple. Again this temple is one where Shiva and Vishnu shrines are found next to each other within the same campus. 

We walked right down the temple complex to the river bank where a large group of people had gathered. Drums were being beaten and several women were in an exhilarated state. They were carrying pots of water with turmeric mixed in them and neem leaves in their hands. The air was reverbrating with the chants and sounds of the women moving rhythmically to the sound of the drums being beaten.

We stood enthralled, watching them for a while and then went down the steps to take a dip at the point of confluence. It is indeed unfortunate that such a holy spot is being maintained very poorly by the users. Several garments left behind by those who had performed rites for their ancestors lay strewn around the murky waters. Various ingredients used for performing rites are also found in several stages of decay. We had to move quite a bit along the bank to find a clean spot to take a holy dip. It would be good if both the temple authorities and the visiting public are more environment conscious and treat the place with respect and concern.

After our dip, we moved to the Amirthalingeswarar Shrine.  After the churning of the ocean, Sage Parasara is believed to have filled the pit containing the remaining nectar with the waters of all the holy rivers and made a Shivalinga with it. This he called Amirthalingeswara. Lord Shiva appeared in the Linga and promised to remove the sins of those who worshipped him in that form and grant their genuine desires. Those seeking child birth, come to the Amirthalingeswara shrine, and perform abhishekam. Then with wet clothes, the woman carries the Amirthalingam around the shrine thrice and offers sweet pongal to the Lord. It is believed that childbirth is definitely granted.

We then moved towards the Sahasralingeswara Shrine. This sahasralingam (one shivalingam containing 1008 small lingams) is said to have been worshipped by Ravana, the Lord of Lanka. Performing abhishekam to the Sahasralingam is said to rid one of Rahu - Kethu Dosha.


Apart from this, near the banks of the river, we can also worship Gayathri Linga, installed by Saint Vishwamithra. Sage Vishwamithra is said to have installed a Shivalingam here and chanted the Gayathri Mantra and worshipped him which is why it is called Gayathri Lingam.

We then moved towards the Sanctum Sanctorum of Sri Sangameshwara. The huge shrine has several sculptures and beautiful stone carvings on the pillars. One notable feature was the "Kolu" like display of the nayanmars in bronze. Thirumuruga Kripananda Vaariyaar Swamy also finds his place as the 64th nayanmar ,which was a sweet surprise. One can also see Somaskanda - Lord Subrahmanya   flanked by his parents to the right of the Sanctum Sanctorum.

After having a divine darshan of the magnificient Lord, and spending a few minutes praying to him to grant all happiness to everyone, we went around the shrine. The circumambulatory path contains the "Pancha Bhootha" Lingams behind the Sanctum Sanctorum. Similarly the Dhakshinamoorthy found on the circumambulatory path has a very short "Kallala" Tree behind him which looks more like a tuft of a turban.

We then moved towards the Sthala Vriksham Ilandhai Maram. (Jujuba Tree). It is under this tree that Lord Shiva appeared before Kubera as a Swayambu Lingam. It is surprising to find that the tree is still bearing a lot of fruit. The Lingam seems extremely ancient. The story goes like this:

Once Kubera was flying over sacred shrines in his Akasa Vimana when he found a Deer, Cow, Tiger, Elephant, Lion, Snake and Rat drinking water peacefully together in the river here. Knowing that this definitely must be a very sacred place, he came and meditated here to have a vision of Lord Shiva. Pleased by his devotion, Lord Shiva appeared as a Swayambu Lingam under the Jujuba Tree. Kubera worshipped him to his heart's content.

Kubera Lingam

There are seperate shrines for Shani Bhagavan and Dattatreya near the Kubera Lingam.

One other unique feature of this temple is a seperate shrine for Jurahareshwara (Lord of Fever). Jurahareshwara with three heads, three arms and three legs is found only in a few temples in Tamilnadu. He is found here in a seperate shrine and interestingly the dwarapalakas in this shrine also have three heads, arms and legs. Offering Rice, Pepper Rasam, and Araikeerai Kootu (Greens with Dhal) to the Lord is said to relieve people of fever and other ailments.
 Chanting of
"Bhasmayudhaaya Vidhmahe
Raktha Netraaya Dheemahi
Thanno Jurahara Prachodhayaath" 
and worshipping him with Bilva leaves, while offering pepper and cummin seeds is said to relieve people of chronic gastric ailments.

We then moved to the Goddess Vedanayaki Shrine. This shrine again has a mandapam in front of the Sanctum Sanctorum and it was interesting to note that there was a huge book shop there selling various devotional literature. One of the unique features of this mandapam is that there are two identical statues on the pillars on either side facing the sanctum sanctorum. When water is poured over them one of the idols has a smiling expression while the other takes on a crying expression.  This is a classic example of the sculptural excellence of the craftsmen of yore.

Goddess Vedhanayaki, also known as Bhavani and Sangameshwari has been worshipped by the four Vedas themselves which is why she bears that name. She looks divine and welcoming as if waiting for us to visit her. In a moment our hearts become light and we feel her welcoming eyes enveloping us with compassion. To the left of the Sanctum Sanctorum here, there is a special chamber that houses the Golden Cot given to the temple by a British Collector, William Garrow in 1804. 

Garrow, who was then the Collector of Coimbatore had visited Bhavani and was staying in the Traveller's Bungalow. One night, a young girl came to the bungalow as he slept and asked him to come out. As he came out, lightning struck the building and it collapsed. When he turned around to thank the little girl, she had disappeared. Believing that the girl who had come to save him was Goddess Vedanayaki, the Collector wanted to worship her. Since entry to foreigners was restricted at that time, he asked for three holes to be made in the outer wall of the temple facing the Goddess's shrine through which he worshipped the Goddess. As a token of gratitude, he has presented a Golden Cot to the Goddess on 11.1.1804. A stone inscription bearing this information is available outside the chamber wherein the Golden cot is placed.

This temple is open between 5.30 am to 1 pm in the morning and 4 pm to 9 pm in the evening. It serves as an excellent "Parihara Sthalam" from child birth to death.  Contact Details : 04256 - 230192.

The third day from Rathasapthami in the tamil month of Maasi (later half of February - first half of March) is a special day here as the sun's rays fall over Sangameshwarar and Goddess Vedanayaki. 

Kasturi Ranganatha Perumal Temple, Erode

Entrance of the Kasthuri Rangantha Perumal temple

The Kasturi Ranganatha Perumal temple overlooks the Arudra Kapaleeswara Temple inside the fort area of Erode. It is said to have been built around the 10th century based on the inscriptions found here. It is interesting to note that the Swamy vimana in this temple, is shaped like a gopuram.

Legend:

The legend of the temple says that Durvasa Maharishi, once went to Vaikunta to have darshan of Lord Vishnu. He was delayed and reached beyond time. So the Dwarapalakas Jaya and Vijaya did not allow him to visit the Lord. Angered at being halted, Durvasa cursed them to be born in Earth. The two Dwarapalakas were frightened and sought a recourse to the curse. Durvasa said they could either be born as friends of the Lord for seven births or as enemies for three births before returning to Vaikunta. Jaya and Vijaya chose to be born as enemies for three births. So they took birth as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu, Ravana and Kumbakarna, Kamsa and Sishupala and were killed by the Lord in each birth. Here they are seen at his feet, inside of at the gate, after being rid of their curse. Lord Ranganatha is seen placing his right hand over the head of Sage Durvasa, asking him to stay calm and be rid of anger. He is holding Lord Brahma in his left hand.

Legend has it that pregnant women offered Kasthuri (a herbal medicine) to the Lord and prayed for safe deliveries and hence he came to be known as Kasturi Ranganatha Perumal. However, this ritual does not seem to continue any longer.

 

Kamalavalli Thayar at the Kasturi Ranganatha Perumal Temple

Deities at the temple:

The Moolavar Kasturi Ranganatha Perumal is found reclining on the Adisesha with Sridevi and Bhoodevi by his side. His right hand is extended to be placed over the head of Sage Durvasa who is found seated by the side and can only be seen while peeping into the sanctum. With his left hand, he is holding up Brahma, who is not seen rising from the navel of the Lord as is normally depicted.  Utsavar Kaliyuga Varadhar. 

The Goddess here is called Kamalavalli Thaayar. She looks so serene and welcoming. Devotees worship her with lotus flowers to have prayers of marriage and childbirth answered. There are  shrines for Andal, Chakkrathazhwar, Srinivasa Perumal and Venugopala Swamy with consorts. Hanuman in this temple is one among the 729 Hanumans that have been installed by Sri Vyasaraja, the previous incarnation of Guru Raghavendra Swamy. The stone on which he has been installed, is in the form of a linga and hence the Hanuman is popularly known as Linga Parai Anjaneya Swamy. Vilvam, which is normally the Sthalavriksham in Shiva temples is the Sthalavriksham here.

Inscriptions: 

Inscriptions at the Kasturi Ranganatha Perumal Temple

There are a number of inscriptions in this temple. They talk about various grants that were provided to the temple at different periods in time. A.R.16 of 1891 from the period of Tribuvanachakravarthigal Veerapandyadevar talks about Vaishnavakani granted to the temple of Pallikonda Nayanar of Moovendrachola Chaturvedimangalam.Another inscription talks about Erode as Poonthurai Nattu Kanchithundaththu Erode and the deity as Pallikondaruliya Perumal.

Inscription mentioning the paving of pathway by EVR Periyar's mother

Another inscription talks about mandapas in the temple having been renovated by Chinna Murari Naicker, son of Kondamalli Vengayya Naicker and Lakkapuram Muthukumara Goundar. The inscription in the picture above mentions the paving of the circumambulatory pathway with Cuddapah stones, by Chinnathayammal, wife of Mandi E. Venkata Naicker, son of Thamma Naicker and her aunt Chennammal. Chinnathayammal, incidentally is the mother of EV Ramasamy Naicker, popularly known as EeVeRa Periyar.  His father has made the crown and feet of the Lord in Silver ( they are really huge).He himself has also served as the administrative trustee of the temple.

A wonderful temple worth visiting if you are in the vicinity!!

Aarudhra Kabaaleeswara Temple, Erode

This is one of the twin temples situated in the busy Fort area of Erode. The reason why the city got its name lies in the Thala Puranam ( உண்மையிலேயே தலை புராணம் தான் ) of this temple!!!


The story goes like this:

King Lakshmi Kanthan, ruled over the Kongu nadu from his palace at a place called Soorapatti. He was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva and took extreme care in growing beautiful flowers in his garden to worship the Lord. His Goshala was at Pallipalayam. Everyday, a cowherd would carry pots of milk from there for the King's pooja, and while he did so one pot would fall down and break over a particular spot and all the milk would spill on the ground.

The cowherd did not know the reason why. He would be very careful while crossing that spot, but in spite of that, the pot would break and the milk would spill. When he took the remaining pots to the palace, he would get scolded for bringing  less milk. To save himself, he narrated the story to the Queen who thought he was selling the milk outside and lying about it. So she asked the King to send his men to check on the cowherd. The King's men found that the cowherd was not lying and reported back to the King.

Surprised, the King asked his men to dig the place where the milk spilt everyday to see what was causing the incident. When the men dug, they found nothing. The king then took the chisel himself, and started digging. When the chisel hit the ground, the ground broke, and the head portion of the lingam broke into four, and fell in four different directions. The place where the big portion of the head fell is called "Perode"( பேரோடு), where the small portion fell is called "Sithode"(சித்தோடு), where the white portion (brain ) fell is called " Vellode", (வெள்ளோடு) and the place where the broken baana (பாணம்) along with the wet bloody scalp of the Lord remained came to be known as "Erode" (ஈர ஓடு or ஈரோடு) . The lingam still bears a wound on its portion as is said to be wet at all time which is why the Lord is called Arudhra Kabaleeswara ( Eswara with the wet skull). The temple is ancient, and the praharams are wide, housing several other sannathis. It is believed that Goddess Parvathi worshipped Shiva here as a peacock. She is called Varani Ambal and is found in a separate shrine. 

Rudhrakoteeswara

A Beautiful Rudhrakoteeswara ( lingam with a thousand and eight lingams engraved on it) can be found on the praharam. It is believed that the Sun worshipped Lord Ardhra Kabaaleswara here. To this day, the Sun's rays fall on the lingam on the 26, 27, and 28th day of the Tamil month of Masi and Surya is found with his consorts Sandhya and Chhaya in the outer praharam.

Shiva Kudumbam under the Peepal Tree

One other unique feature is that of a statue of Ambal and Shiva along with Ganesha found under the Sthala Vriksham. 

The Ardhra Kabaaleeswara is worshipped mainly by weavers who desire to succeed in their craft. A very interesting tale is associated with this practice. Once upon a time, there was a very poor weaver called Thandavan who lived here. He was a very staunch devotee of Lord Ardhra Kabaaleswara and spent all his life and the very meagre resources he had in serving the Lord through his devotees. Lord Shiva, pleased with his devotion, wanted to showcase it to the world. 

So he approached his wife when Thandavan was away. Pleased to receive the aged devotee of Shiva, the lady welcomed him warmly and asked him how she could help. The old man said that he had come looking for a towel. The lady responded that her husband had only one towel and had gone out wearing it, but if the old man could tell her where he was staying , her husband would make sure he received a towel. 

The old man smiled and said he could be found outside the Ardhra Kabaleeswara temple and left. Once Thandavan returned, his wife narrated everything that had happened. Thandavan was overjoyed that the old devotee had sought him for help. He ran to his boss, and requested him to give him a towel on credit. The boss was surprised. Thandavan had been working as a weaver with him for many years, but had never asked for any help. He always received his meagre wages with gratitude and went about his work without a complaint. So he agreed to give him a towel on credit.

Thandavan ran with the new towel to the temple. He was quick to spot the old man, sitting near the entrance of the temple and gave the towel to him. The old man received it with a divine smile and blessed Thandavan. 

Next morning, the priest was in for a surprise when he opened the temple. The silk parivattam (towel) which had adorned the Lord the previous night was missing and in its place was a humble cotton towel. The priest was unable to comprehend how this had happened and raised an alarm. At that time, Thandavan's boss came to the temple for his daily worship. He saw the towel and identified it as the one he had given on credit to Thandavan.

The priests decided that Thandavan had stolen the silk towel belonging to the Lord. He was dragged to the temple, tied to a pillar and the people starting beating him up. Thandavan pleaded innocence and appealed to the Lord for help. Wanting to reveal the truth, the Lord spoke through the Village Officer's son, that he had performed that incident to show to the world the depth of Thandavan's devotion. Even though he did not have anything to call his own, he had happily strived to serve the devotees of Lord Shiva and through his service, had pleased the Lord himself.

In recognition of his service, the Lord proclaimed that from that day on, he would be known as Thondeeswarar. Thandavan was overjoyed. He spent the rest of his life serving the Lord and was attained salvation.

To this day, weavers and those involved in the weaving craft, worship Lord Ardhra Kabaleeswara in order for their business to succeed. 

How to reach here: The temple is found in the fort area within the city of Erode, opposite to the Kasthuri Ranganatha Perumal temple.

Temple Timings: 6 am - 11 am, 4 pm - 8 pm

Contact details: 0424-2267578