Muppandal esakki amman temple

Muppandal esakki amman temple

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

         This temple is also called as Muppandal avvayaramman    temple .Muppandal is a  small village   which is 25 km  North of  Naagarkoil town of Kanyakumari    district of Tamil Nadu.People believe that the Goddess  was originally called “Iyakki” meaning she makes  things work  and this over time became Esakki,. The temple  has a  statue of the great  ancient poetess of  Tamil Nadu and hence it is called also as avvayara amman temple . There are  two stories about this temple, one about its  recent origin and another   about   its ancient origin. Another interesting  fact about  the temple is that the Goddess  remains under a  cactus  plant here.

Story of the recent origin of the temple

  In a place called Panakudi of Tirunelveli district a lady devotee was greatly suffering due to unbearable  stomach acheThough she consulted  many doctors nobody was able to cure it..Then she  thought of her clan Goddess  and shouted crying “Amma(mother)”.That night in her dream her clan God  Esakki Amman came  , sat neat her and massaged  her stomach  and asked her, “ I am now below a cactus plant. Can you not build a thatched   shed for me?”  and  then vanished.The pain of the lady vanished and she ran to the temple  of her Clan Goddess and she saw The mother Goddess  in the form of a  already made stone below a cactus  plant .The villagers immediately built a thatched shed for the Goddess  there itself.. several people whose prayers were  answered  slowly improved the temple  by matcking it in to a  built temple..This temple  is  in a valley whose three  sides are covered  by mountains of the western ghats  ands one side is a plane.Possibly this lead  thre place to be named  as Muppandal( Three  temporary  sheds),There is also a story that  The chera, Chozha and Pandya kings of  ancient Tamil Nadu , met at this temple  to solve their problems.When they came for meeting they erected   three  different temporary sheds and lived there. This again could have lead   to the name Muppandal(Three  temporary sheds).”

Ancient story of the origin of the temple.

     There was  an ancient temple of Lord Shiva in a nearby village called Pazhavur, He developed   relation with a Prostitute  of the village. She being a great devotee of Lord Shiva , protected  her virtue by being faithful   to only the priest. When the priest lost all his wealth, the other prostitutes were trying to get her separated from the priest..The priest   who was interested  in getting back all his wealth  murdered  the Lady Prostitute m, near a cactus bush,.The ladies  elder brother  who saw her dead also died there itself and the priest who tried to escape was bitten by a snake   and he  also died. That girl and her briother to take revenge were  born as a Yaksha boy and girl called Neelan and Neeli and lived in Chozha  kingdom. When the people found out that they were not human beings, they ran away from their residence and reached a Cactus bush. The brother  turned  in to a neem tree  and the girl lived under  that neem tree., The priest was born as a merchant and when he came  once near the cactus bush, , she created  a baby , followed him and told people that  he had cheated her and when he came back with her , she killed him near the cactus  bush..When with great  anger she was going away from the  great  poetess Avvayar  who was an old lady, told her that  since her mission is over, she can stay near the cactus  bush itself. When Lord Shiva , the friend of Yakshas  took pity on Neeli and requested  Goddess Parvathi to help her , the Goddess  gave her the great power called Veera Shakthi.From that time Neeli , then known as Easkki started   the protecting Goddess of the villages nearby. In that Cactus shrub even today there is a neem tree  and a Temple of a  Goddess.People  call that place as Adhi Moola  sthanam(The ancient sanctum) ,There the goddess  statue made  of baked clay is still there.Even today people who want to be blessed with children keep cradles  at The mantapam   at the  Aadhi moola Sthanam.

     IN the other temple built as per the words of Avvayar   , the Goddess Esakki   has a  very peaceful look.On her right side there is  the Goddess Kalyani called Piranathi Amman., The temple is guarded near the gate  by the two brothers of Esakki Amman called Sudalai Madan and Pattavarayan , There are separate  statues of Durga, Vaishnavi  and Avvayar  in the outside   corridor of the  temple,.Outside the temple there  is a 33 feet tall Statue of Esakki Amman in the I open ground.

   In the temple  a  protective sacred thread is tied   so that evil spirits and black magic  does not give any trouble to the devotees  of the temple. They offer White Pongal  and Payasam to the Goddess   and  distribute it to people as Prasada.There is a huge crowds of devotees  at the temple on full moon days. People believe that  if they worship  on that day, the unmarried girls  would get  married soon. After the worship on those  days, the priests tie an yellow thread on the hands of the girls..It is also a practice of the farmers to offer  a part of their  harvested to the temple. The Goddess is also   offered a sweet made of jiggery and Gingelly  ,

    All the vehicles passing in front of the temple stop their for a minute and drivers  pray for their  safety.The last Tuesday of the Adi month is celebrated in a grand way in the temple.On the second Tuesday, the Amman is anointed with turmeric water..There is also a ritual of  walking on fire by the males who do penance for 41 days at the temple on that day, . There is another prayer when the devotees  offer scented flowers   and cover up the Amman statue. But all festivals and worship start only at the Adhi Moola Sthanam

The temple is open daily from 6.30 Am  till 8 PM. Tuesdays , Fridays and  Sundays  are considered as special days to worship the Goddess.

Chelliamman temple of Thottapalayam, Vellore

Chelliamman temple  of  Thottapalayam, Vellore

Compiled by

P.R.RAmachander

     This Temple is situated adjacent to the new city  bus stand  of the  Vellore visited by thousands of devotees  daily. She is considered to be another form of CHamundeswari , one of the Saptha Mathrukas(Seven mothers viz  Brahmi, Vaishnaviu, Maheswari,  Kaumari, Chamundi, Varahi , Narasimhi  ). Inside the sanctum the idols of all the Saptha Mathrukas  are  also seated but Goddess Chelli Amman who is Chamundi is prominently shown. There is a very interesting    story  of this temple.

    It seems Bommi and Dhimmi  were two brothers  hailing from Karnataka deserted their original home  due to the ill treatment of their step brothers and reached   the Banks of Palaru  in Vellore. At that time this part of Tamil Nadu was ruled by Chozhas and they  permitted the brothers to stay in Vellore. Seeing the Saptha Matha idols they started worshipping the idol of CHamundi who was their Kula Deivam (clan god.) Once when dacoits attacked that village and  these brothers  drove them out due to the power given to them by Chamundi. The other villagers   who only then realized the power of the Goddess started  worshipping Chamundi but in Tamil called   her Chelli Amman.

    Her devotees have great belief in the powers of the Goddess  and any good thing in their homes is only initiated   after  getting the permission of the Goddess . They offer  statues of horses and tie cradles  on the banyan tree  of the temple .The very large number of these statues and cradles go to prove  the popularity of the Goddess  .The temple is open from 6 Am to 8 PM. It  is about 4-5 km from V the Katpadi Railway station.

Veeramakali temple of Perambur

Veeramakali temple  of  Perambur

Compiled  by

P.R.Ramachander 

 Perambur is a village in Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu    which has the very famous Veeramakali   temple  .There is a very interesting legend about this temple. It seems several thousands of years ago, this village was terrorized by a spirit called CHemmuni , which used to like  to eat Human flesh. When it started    attacking mindlessly, the village people made an agreement with the spirit that   daily one of  the villagers would go to him as food. A roster was drawn up in the village for this.  One day  a  widowed lady with only one son had to send him as food to Chemmuni. She got agitated and requested Veeramahamuni   , a folk god who lived in Veerappoor  mountain to save her son. Veeramamuni took a very  mega form  and with his feet stamped on the head of CHemmuni  and pressed him. CHemmuni was buried in the earth. Though Chemmuni   requested d for pardon,  Veeramamuni   destroyed him completely  and then summoned his sister Kali   and requested her  to merge with the Kali of Perambur which was worshipped by the cultivators there. She became Veeramakali and was  made as   the  Guardian Goddess  of the village of Perambur.

   People  of the village believe that  She prevents all evil spirits from entering the village. They also believe  that  sick people , if they are brought to  the temple get cured..If anything is stolen from the  village they pray that they  would give  one fourth of the  cost of the lost article and the Goddess    recovers  it for them. This village is 22 km from the town of Trichy.

Musiri Azhagu nachiyamman temple

Musiri Azhagu nachiyamman temple

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

    This is a temple that is situated   in the banks of  Cauvery  in the Musiri town of Trichy district.. It is believed that about one thousand years  ago when the river Cauvery  was in flood, two people who were taking bath in the river notice  a Palmyra leaf box floating in the river. Thinking that  it may  be a treasure or a child, they swam  in the river and with lot of difficulty saved the box and brought it to the shore. To their surprise they found idol of a Goddess . The village people   consecrated the Goddess  on the shores of the river and erected a thatched  leaf shed over her. Over time that hut was replaced by a pretty temple   and the Goddess who was called as Azhagu Nachiamman  became very famous and goddess of several thousand clans   of the village. Just outside the sanctum there is a statue of a  white horse and its  rider, The people believe that   the souls of their ancestors lay buried under the feet of that horse. If any one of their family dies , they bring a handful of the  mud   with boneir bones and bury it under  the feet of the horse, In the sanctum  there are seven virgins  Kaumari, Maheswari , Varahi, Azhagi Nachiyar, Indrani , Vaishnavi and Brahmi  .ON all the days of Margazhy month, Navarathri , on all Fridays of Aadi month special worship to the  goddess  takes place, Devotees believe that  by worshipping her ladies get  married quickly .The temple is open from 6Am to 8,30 Am   and 1 pm to 6.30 PM  .

Kongalamman temple , Erode

Kongalamman temple , Erode

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

    KOngu Nadu   was an integral part of Tamil Nadu   , which spread over the present day Erode and Coimbatore  districts  .The  Tamil speaking people of Kongu Nadu  seem to have a great culture  of their own. Kongalamman is the guardian  deity  of Kongu Nadu and her temple  is situated  in the  Erode town of Tamil Nadu .The wall writings on the temple indicate that it is a very  ancient one .Most probably  the temple was located in the  Adhi Kongalamman temple in Anangur , which is a village  near Erode town. It seems  about 150 years back some thieves were  trying to steal the idol of Kongalamman from Erode temple . When they reached Anangur , they heard a voice from the sky   telling them that  if she is stolen from there  , they would face great danger. The thieves left the Goddess  there itself and ran away,Next day the people of  Anangur found the statue of Amman and built a temple for her there.The people of Erode then got made another idol and consecrated there  in the Erode temple .So before the Chariot  festival of the Erode temple  , the Goddess  Adhi Kongalamman  at Anangur would be  worshipped. People believe that Kongalamman  would guide them  in the day today administration of the village. It seems when a discussion was going on , in side the temple whether to have Kalingarayan Canal , The Goddess told them to build it. Kongalamman  has eight  hands   and  is believed to fulfill all the  needs of her devotees..Even today , when water is being collected for the temples in Erode town,  a part of it is first given to Kongalamman and the rest is taken to their respective temples. There is a Prathyangira Devi temple in side this temple with five temple trees. People with Sarpa Dosha  come to this temple  and by worshipping the Goddess  get rid of their Dosha., The temple also has mahishasura Mardini, Madurai Veeran, Karupaanna Chami, the sapthe mathrikas , The Saptha Kanni   and Pechi Amman temple   inside it.The chariot festival of the temple is on the Month of Thai on the  Poosam day.There is special worship of the temple  during all Fridays in the moth of Aadi. The temple is open from 6 Am to 8 PM.

Nannilam Madathi Amman temple

Nannilam  Madathi Amman temple

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

   Madathi was the   youngest sister of seven brothers. After the early expiry of her parents, her brothers looked after her well. Though  a rich man called Vadavedu Mirasudar was in love with her , her  brothers gave her in marriage to a person in the near by village .The rich Mirasdar started visiting the village where Madathi was living often and her husband became jealous,Once when Madathi went to attend  a festival in a near by village , her son  wanted to ride in the giant wheel. When Madathi and her son got in to it, the Mirasdar   who was there  also got in to the same coach as her.When her brothers came to know about it, they felt that Madathi has  insulted their family and chopped off her head., The head of Madathi which fell on the earth cursed her brothers that, their children also would become orphans like her son. Slowly one by one all her brothers died and the entire village  which found fault with her   was completely destroyed. Her Village Cherankulam built a temple  for her at the spot where   she was killed.The temple which was a hut for the  past  two hundred years has now been built as a strong temple. She has become the Clan Goddess   for many people in the village .One peculiarity of this temple is that  sacrificing animals never take place there as she had ordered her people like that..Daily the priest anoints her with one big pot of water   and Closes down the temple  .Her devotees are   trying their best   to  start normal worship for her. Since the house of her priest is in the same village, devotees can go any day and worship  the Goddess

Keerangudi kudavarasi Amman

Keerangudi kudavarasi Amman

Compiled by

P.R.Ramachander

Keerangudi is a small Village/hamlet in Kollidam Taluk in Nagapattinam District of Tamil Nadu State, India. It comes under Sathiyakudi Panchayath. It is located 72 KM towards North from District head quarters Nagapattinam. 235 KM from State capital Chennai .ON the way from this village KOnnangattu padugai is the Kudavarasi temple . Her devotees believe  that Kudavarasi Amman  is Renuka Devi , wife of saint Jamadagni and mother  of God Parasurama . When Renuka devi was slain by her son   under the orders  of her father   and later given back her life, Renuka it seems sat on the  banks of Kollidam rived and did great penance addressing  Goddess Durga,The Goddess  appeared before her and asked her to stay there  itself proving the greatness  of virtous woman. REnuka devi stayed  there for several eons as Kudavarasi. Amman. Slowly  her temple got destroyed and covered with mud. Over her idol it seems there was an ant hill.  They were not knowing that   a cow l was letting out  all her milk on the ant hill. When they returned their master   got very angry and beat them black and blue. Next day the master  was surprised to see that   all the vessels in his house was full of milk,. The master went to the boys and  begged for their  pardon. Then one of those  looking at them, got the goddess  in him and told, “I am goddess Kudavarasi who has come here.Your cow gave milk only to me and quenched my thirst. Go to the ant hill and see.”  They found the idol of Kudavarasi at the ant hill and consecrated that idol  there it self and started   worshipping her. Since flods in the river was common , they later shifted the temple  nearer to the village. Many people tried to build a temple for her but failed. But later one Ramrutha Sivacharyar who collected money for that   travelling to several villages   succeeded in erecting a small temple.The full moon day (Pournami) of Masi   and Chithrai month is celebrated with great fan fare  in this temple..In the month of asi Goddess Kudavarasi would go round all nearby villages and each village    would worship her in a grand manner. In each village  the Goddess would visit each individual home  and they would offer her a part of the harvested produce from their fields. They believe  that by doing so wealth will flow in to their homes.