Alamaathi Pidari Echathammam temple

 Alamaathi  Pidari  Echathammam temple

Compiled by

P.R,Ramachander

.There  is an interesting story behind this temple:-

    When Goddess Parvathy was fighting with  an ASura called Mahishasura, wherever a drop of blood fell from that ASura’s body a new  Rakthabheeja was created. To  Stop this Goddess Parvathy created the Ferocious form of Kali who drank all the blood  that fell from the Body of  Mahishasura.  Due to consumption of blood, she became   extremely ferocious  and Goddess Parvathi made her wear  a garland of limes which cooled her down. She then covered herself  by an ant hill in that village which was called  Erumavetti palayam(The village of cutting of elephant) .

 Later when Rishabhasura   the grand son of Ravana lusted for Goddess  Parvathi and started troubling her, she again woke up that Kali who cut off the head of Rishabhasura and drank all his blood. DEvas who saw her ferociousness   Offered her several lime garlands and saluted her. She then became Elumichai B Nayagi( Lime Goddess) and  again started living in an ant hill. The ant hill became very huge and the villages who knew about her offered g her Bali on wednedays and  also decorated her   with lime garlands

     AS Time went by the attention of the villagers  came down and they started neglecting her. At that time she caused torrential rain on the village which troubled them greatly. Then their village was visited by  sage Markandeya who advised  them to start worshipping the  Goddess again. So in the month of Masi (February-march) on a Wednesday  when it was also  Amavasya(new moon) , the villages  started worshipping her. Then they heard the Goddess assuring them that  she would protect  that village as well as the seven villages   surrounding it.Sage Markandeya also started  living in that village.

   Once there was huge storm and torrential rain in the village again and those seven villages were about to be drowned by a flood and the lake which was the life line of the village   was about to break..  People got scared and approached sage Markandeya who prayed the Goddess  to solve their problem.Then Elumichai Nayagi rose from the ant hill and went and sat at the bank of the lake which was about to break. The banks became strong and rains stopped. All the villagers requested the Goddess  to stay there itself and she agreed. She  from that time was known as “Pidario Echathamman”.. Here echa indicates yAgna and Athuthal means curing. Since she rose up like a flower in the village  that village became known as “Alar Mathu”  which  lated became Alamathi  

    Pidari sits in a small temple   facing the north. There are separate sub temples   for Ganesa, seven maids(SAptha kanniyar), Karumari and Durga of anthill in that temple.Tuesdays, Wednesdays , Fridays and Sundays are  important in the temple and  huge crowds of devotees visit   their goddess .

   Maha Shivarathri   and new year   are celebrated  in this temple  ,. The festival month of the temple is Aadi(July-august). SEvarl festivals take place durig the month. Ear boring , marriages, worship of new Vehicles etc of these seven villages take place only at this temple.

    A special  worship practiced in the temple is anointing her , offering her pongal  on Wednesdays   for five weeks.Every time they offer five limes to the Goddess. The priest returns two of them. They then  pierce one lime on the spear of the goddess, and cut the other in to two.The juice of  the fruit is poured on the Bali Peda of the Goddess and they light two  ghee lamps on the lime skins and offer it to the  Goddess, On the fifth Wednesday, they make the Goddess  wear a lime garland and offer  her sweet pongal.Devotees believe by doing this all their problems would get solved. The temple is open every day from 7 Am  to 12 noon  and 4 pm to 7 PM.