Chengannur Mahadeva Temple,
Alappuzha – Legends
Sakthi
Peeth:
In Hindu
mythology, Daksha Yajna or Daksha-Yaga is an important
event, which is narrated in various Hindu scriptures. It refers to a yajna (sacrifice)
organized by Daksha,
where his daughter Sati immolated herself. The wrath of
god Shiva,
Sati's husband, thereafter destroyed the sacrifice. The tale is also
called Daksha-Yajna-Nasha (destruction of Daksha's sacrifice). The
story forms the basis of the establishment of the Shakti
Peethas, temples of the Hindu Divine Mother. It is also becoming a
prelude to the story of Parvati, Sati's reincarnation who later marries
Shiva. The mythology is mainly told in the Vayu
Purana. It is also mentioned in the Kasi Kanda of
the Skanda Purana, the Kurma
Purana, Harivamsa Purana and Padma
Purana. Linga Purana, Shiva
Purana, and Matsya
Purana also detail the incident.
Sati-Shiva marriage:
Daksha was one of the Prajapati,
son of Brahma,
and among his foremost creations. The name Daksha means "skilled
one". Daksha had two wives: Prasoothi and Panchajani (Virini). Sati (also
known as ‘‘Uma’’) was his youngest daughter; born from Prasoothi (the daughter
of the Prajapati Manu), she was the pet child of Daksha and
he always carried her with him. Sati (meaning truth) is also called Dakshayani
as she followed Daksha’s path; this is derived from the Sanskrit
words Daksha and Ayana (walk or path).
Sati, the youngest daughter of Daksha, was
deeply in love with the god Shiva and wished to become his wife. Her
worship and devotion of Shiva strengthened her immense desire to become his
wife. However, Daksha did not like his daughter’s yearning for Shiva, mainly
because he was a Prajapati and the son of the god Brahma;
his daughter Sati was a royal princess. They were wealthy nobility and their
imperial royal lifestyle was entirely different from that of Shiva.
As an emperor, Daksha wanted to increase his influence
and power by making marriage alliances with powerful empires and influential
sages and gods. Shiva on the other hand led a very modest life. He lived among
the downtrodden, wore a tiger skin, smeared ashes on his body, had thick locks
of matted hair, and begged with a skull as bowl. His abode was Mount Kailash in
the Himalayas.
He embraced all kinds of living beings and did not make any distinction between
good souls and bad souls.
The Bhutaganas, his followers, consisted of all
kinds of ghosts, demons, ghouls and goblins. He wandered through garden and
graveyard alike. As a consequence, Daksha had aversion towards Shiva being his
daughter’s companion. However, unlike Daksha, Sati loved Shiva as she had the
revelation that Shiva was the Supreme God. Sati won Shiva as her husband by
undergoing severe austerities (tapas).
Despite Daksha's disappointment, Sati married Shiva.
Brahma's Yajna:
Once Brahma conducted a huge yajna (sacrifice),
where all the Prajapatis, gods and kings of the world were invited. Shiva and
Sati were also called on to participate in the yajna. All of them came for the
yajna and sat in the ceremonial place. Daksha came last. When he arrived,
everyone in the yajna, with the exception of Brahma, Shiva and Sati, stood up
showing reverence for him. Brahma being Daksha's father and Shiva being
Daksha's son-in-law were considered superior in stature to Daksha. Daksha
misunderstood Shiva’s gesture and considered Shiva's gesture as an insult.
Daksha vowed to take revenge on the insult in the same manner.
Daksha Yaga:
Daksha’s grudge towards Shiva grew after Brahma's yajna.
With the prime motive of insulting Shiva, Daksha initiated a great yajna,
similar to that of Brahma. The yajna was to be presided over by the sage Bhrigu.
He invited all the gods, Prajapatis and kings to attend the yajna and
intentionally avoided inviting Shiva and Sati.
Dadhichi – Daksha argument:
The Kurma Purana discusses the dialogues between the
sage Dadhichi and
Daksha. After the sacrifice and hymns where offered to the twelve Aditya
gods; Dadhichi noticed that there was no sacrificial portion (Havvis) allotted
to Shiva and his wife, and no Vedic hymns were used in the yajna addressing
Shiva which were part of Vedic hymns. He warned Daksha that he should not alter
the Holy Vedas for personal reasons; the priests and sages supported this.
Daksha replied to Dadhichi that he would not do so and insulted Shiva. Dadhichi
left the yajna because of this argument.
Sati's Death:
Sati came to know about the grand yajna organized by her
father and asked Shiva to attend the yajna. Shiva refused her request, saying
that it was inappropriate to attend a function without being invited. He
reminded her that she was now his wife more than Daksha’s daughter and, after
marriage, is a member of Shiva’s family rather than Daksha’s. The feeling of
her bond to her parents overpowered the social etiquette she had to follow. She
even had a notion that there was no need to have received an invitation in order
to attend as she was Daksha’s favourite daughter and no formality existed
between them.
She constantly pleaded and urged Shiva to let her attend
the ceremony and became adamant in her demands without listening to the reasons
Shiva provided for not attending the function. He allowed Sati to go to her
parents' home, along with his followers including Nandi,
and attend the ceremony, but refused to accompany with her. Upon arriving, Sati
tried to meet her parents and sisters; Daksha was arrogant and avoided
interacting with Sati. He repeatedly snubbed her in front of all the
dignitaries, but Sati maintained her composure.
Because of Sati’s persistence in trying to meet him,
Daksha reacted vehemently, insulting her in front of all the other guests at
the ceremony to which she had not been invited. He called Shiva an atheist and
cremation ground dweller. As planned, he took advantage of the situation and
continued shouting repugnant words against Shiva. Sati felt deep remorse for
not listening to her beloved husband. Daksha’s disdain towards her, and
especially her husband Shiva, in front of all the guests was growing each
moment she stood there. The shameless insult and humiliation of her and her
beloved, eventually became too much to bear.
She cursed Daksha for acting so atrociously toward her
and Shiva and reminded him that his haughty behaviour had blinded his
intellect. She cursed him and warned that the wrath of Shiva would destroy him
and his empire. Unable to bear further humiliation, Sati committed suicide by
jumping into the sacrificial fire. The onlookers tried to save her, but it was
too late. They were only able to retrieve the half-burnt body of Sati.
Daksha's pride in being a Prajapati and his prejudice
against his son-in-law created a mass hatred within himself, which resulted in
the death of his daughter. The Nandi and the accompanying Bhootaganas left the
yajna place after the incident. Nandi cursed the participants and Bhrigu
reacted by cursing the Bhootaganas back.
Destruction of the Yajna by Lord Shiva:
Lord Shiva was deeply pained upon hearing of his wife's
death. His grief grew into a terrible anger when he realized how Daksha had
viciously plotted a treachery against him; but it was his innocent wife who fell
into the trap instead of him. Shiva learned of Daksha’s callous behaviour
towards Sati. Shiva's rage became so intense that he plucked a lock of hair
from his head and smashed it on the ground, breaking it into two with his leg.
Armed and frightening, two fearsome beings Virabhadra and
Bhadrakali
(Rudrakali) emerged. Lord Shiva ordered them to kill Daksha and destroy the
yajna.
The ferocious Virabhadra and Bhadrakali, along with the
Bhutaganas, reached the yajna spot. The invitees renounced the yajna and
started running away from the turmoil. Sage Bhrigu created an army with his
divine penance powers to resist Shiva’s attack and protect the yajna. Bhrigu’s
army was demolished and the entire premises were ravaged. All those who
participated, even the other Prajapatis and the gods, were mercilessly beaten,
wounded or even slaughtered.
The Vayu Purana mentions the attack of Bhutaganas:
the nose of some goddesses were cut, Yama's
staff bone was broken, Mitra's
eyes were pulled out, Indra was trampled by Virabhadra and
Bhutaganas, Pushan's
teeth were knocked out, Chandra was beaten heavily, all of the
Prajapatis' were beaten, the hands of Vahini were cut off, and Bhrigu's beard
was cut off. Daksha was caught and decapitated, the attack culminated when the
Bhutaganas started plucking out Bhrigu’s white beard as a victory
souvenir.
The Vayu Purana do not mention the
decapitation of Daksha, instead it says Yagna,
the personification of yajna took the form of an antelope and jumped towards
the sky. Virabhadra captured it and decapitated Yagna. Daksha begs mercy from
the Parabrahmam (the
Supreme Almighty who is formless), who rose from the yajna fire and forgives
Daksha. The Parabrahmam informs Daksha that Shiva is in fact a manifestation of
Parabrahmam. Daksha then becomes a great devotee of Shiva. The Linga
Purana and Bhagavatha Purana mention the
decapitation of Daksha.
Certain other puranas like Harivamsa, Kurma,
and Skanda narrate the story from the perspective of the
Vaishnava-Shaiva community feud prevalent in ancient times. In these puranas,
there are fights between Vishnu and Shiva or Virabhadra, with various victors
throughout. The story of Daksha Yaga in Vaishnava and Shaiva puranas
end with the surrendering of Daksha to the Parabrahmam or with the destruction
of yajna and decapitation of Daksha.
Aftermath:
As the obstruction of the yajna will create havoc and
severe ill effects on the nature, Brahma and the god Vishnu went
to the grief-stricken Lord Shiva. They comforted and showed their sympathy
towards Shiva. They requested him to come to the yajna location and pacify the
Bhutaganas and allow the Yaga to be completed; Shiva agreed. Shiva found the
burnt body of Sati. Shiva gave permission to continue yajna. Daksha was
absolved by Shiva and the head of a ram (Male goat) meant for yajna was fixed
on the decapitated body of Daksha and gave his life back. The yajna was
completed successfully.
The later story is an epilogue to the story of Daksha
yajna mentioned in Shakta Puranas like Devi Bhagavata Purana, Kalika
Purana and the folklores of various regions. Shiva was so distressed and
could not part from his beloved wife. He took the corpse of Sati and wandered
around the universe. To reduce Shiva's grief, Vishnu cuts Sati's corpse as per
Vaishnava Puranas; whose parts fell on the places Shiva wandered. The Shaiva
version says that her body disintegrated on its own and the parts fell while
Shiva was carrying Sati's corpse in various places. The Yoni (Genitals) of
Goddess Sati fell here.
These places commemorating each body part came to be
known as the Shakti Peethas. There are 51 Shakti
Peethas, representing the 51 letters of Sanskrit.
Some of the puranas which came in later ages gave more importance to their
supreme deity (depending on Vaishnava, Shaiva, and Shakta sects) in their
literature. Shiva went to isolation and solitude for ages and wandered all
around until Sati reincarnated as Parvati,
the daughter of the King Himavan. Like Sati, Parvati took severe austerities
and gave away all her royal privileges and went to forest. Shiva tested her
affection and devotion in disguise. He eventually realized Parvati is Sati
herself. Shiva later married Parvati. The Kamakhya Temple in Assam
also holds the same legend.
Viralminda Nayanar:
Viralminda Nayanar or Viranminda
Nayanar was a Nayanar saint, venerated in the Hindu sect
of Shaivism.
He is generally counted as the sixth in the list of 63 Nayanars. He was a
contemporary of Sundarar (8th Century CE). It
is sometimes described as the only Nayanar from Kerala.
Viralminda Nayanar is described in legends as the reason Sundarar composed to a
hymn to the Nayanar saints, which became the first compilation of the list.
The life of Viralminda Nayanar
is described in the Periya Puranam by Sekkizhar (12th
century), which is a hagiography of the 63 Nayanars. One of the most prominent
Nayanars, Sundarar (8th
century) venerates Viralminda Nayanar in the Tiruthondar Thogai. Viralminda
Nayanar was born Sengunru (Sengkunroor) (generally identified with modern-day Chengannur)
in the hilly terrain of Malai Nadu, modern-day
Indian state of Kerala.
The region was then under the
reign of the Chera kings. He is regarded as a
historical figure (8th - 9th century), contemporary
of Sundarar and
the Chera king Rajashekhara Varman (Cheraman Perumal
Nayanar, reign: 820- 844), both are venerated as Nayanars. He is sometimes
regarded as the only Nayanar from Kerala, others consider Viralminda Nayanar
and Cheraman Perumal Nayanar are the only two Nayanars from Kerala. The Mindan
/ Mindar is an honorific in his name.
Viralminda Nayanar was a Vellalar,
a caste of
agricultural land owners. He was a great devotee of Shiva, the
patron god of Shaivism. He believed that honouring the
devotees of Shiva is a greater form of service to Shiva, than worshipping Lord Shiva
himself. He travelled to various temples of Shiva and finally reached Thiruvarur,
famous for its Thyagaraja Temple dedicated
to Lord Shiva. He saw devotees of Shiva called Adiyar (servants) seated in
the Devasrayam, the thousand-pillared mandapa (hall)
in the temple and prostrated to them and stayed in their company.
He decreed that others should
also pay their respects to the Adiyar, before worshipping the lingam (aniconic
symbol of Lord Shiva worshipped in temples) in the garbhagriha (sanctum
sanatorium). Once, Sundarar, one of the most celebrated Nayanar saints, came to
the shrine and went straight to the garbhagriha, without bowing to the
Adiyar. This offended Viralminda, who not only excommunicated Sundarar from
Shaivism, but also Thyagaraja, the form of Shiva worshipped in the
temple who insulted the devotees by accepting Sundarar's worship.
To placate Viralminda, Sundarar
composed the Tiruthonda Thogai ("The List of Holy
Devotees"), a hymn to Nayanar saints, which is the first compilation
of the list. The list of Nayanars was crystallized in the Periya
Puranam with addition of Sundarar in the list of the 62 saints
of Tiruthonda Thogai. The Periya Puranam continues with
praising Viralminda Nayanar as the reason for the Nayanars' list and states
that he received Shiva's grace and reached Kailash,
Shiva's abode after his death. He was made the leaders of the ganas,
attendants of Shiva at Kailash.
A legend says that after
Sundarar insulted the devotees, Viralminda Nayanar pursued Sundarar with his
axe. When Sundarar was just within the grasp of Viralminda, Thyagaraja rescued
Sundarar by hiding him in the temple wall. A shrine marks the event and spot
where Viralminda is worshipped in the Thyagaraja Temple. While some accounts
narrate that the composition of Tiruthonda Thogai reconciled the
differences between Viralminda Nayanar and Sundarar, others say that he never
forgave Thyagaraja, Sundarar and the people of Thiruvarur and left Thiruvarur.
He vowed never to enter Thiruvarur.
Viralminda was angry with
Sundarar as he used Thyagaraja to pacify the wrath of his wife Paravai. He was
upset with Thyagaraja for his partiality with Sundarar, despite all his faults.
He was enraged with the god when he heard Thyagaraja gave Sundarar a divine
vision. Viralminda settled in the village of Vandampalai, outside
Thiruvarur. He used to serve lunch to the devotees every day and would ask for
their village before serving them. He would kill anyone who came from
Thiruvarur with his axe.
Once, Thyagaraja, disguised
himself as a devotee and came to Viralminda's house. Viralminda's wife welcomed
him and asked him his village. He said he belonged to Thiruvarur; she
immediately warned him about Viralminda's hatred of Thiruvarur and its people
and requested him to lie about his village. The devotee refused to do so but
requested the wife to keep the axe on Viralminda's left hand, instead of the
usual right. She complied. When Viralminda heard the devotee belonged to
Thiruvarur, he reached for his axe, but did not find it in its usual place.
The delay helped the devotee
escape, but Viralminda chased him with his axe. The devotee entered the limits
of Thiruvarur and Viralminda unconsciously broke his vow, following him. Viralminda
chopped off his own legs as penance. Thyagaraja revealed his divine form as
Shiva and blessed Viralminda for his devotion. The divine vision also led to a
truce between Viralminda, Thyagaraja and Sundarar. The Shiva temple in
Vandampalai was built in memory of the event.
Sundarar venerates Viralminda
(called Viranmintan of Kunrai) as a Nayanar in the Tiruthondar
Thogai. The Musukundasahasranaman, a liturgy dedicated to Thyagaraja,
which mainly speaks about his love for Sundarar, also recalls the devotion of
Viralminda Nayanar. Viralminda Nayanar has shrines in the Thiruvarur and
Vandampalai Temples.
Viralminda Nayanar is worshipped
on Thiruvathira, the Purnima (full moon day) of the Tamil
month of Chithirai. He is depicted is depicted wearing a
crown, with folded hands and holding an axe (parashu)
in the crook of his arm. He receives collective worship as part of the 63
Nayanars. Their icons and brief accounts of his deeds are found in many Shiva
temples in Tamil Nadu. Their images are taken out in procession in festivals.
The Oath
at the Western Entrance:
There is an interesting account relating to a custom at
the Western entrance of the temple. There was a famous Muringoor Brahmin
family who were great devotees of Chengannur Mahadeva. Once, an Alwar came to
Chengannur to challenge the Muringoor family at a time when a boy of twelve
years was the only male in the Muringoor family. The boy who was not equipped
to meet the challenge of the Alwar sought refuge at the feet of Devi.
The Goddess moved by the prayer appeared to the boy in a
dream and instructed the boy to make use of the brass pipe in the ‘Araa’ which
had a snake in it and which will be under the control of the boy. The next day
the boy challenged his opponent to release the snake with his magical powers.
The Alwar’s efforts failed and the snake in turn tried to bite the intruder.
On the pleading of the Alwar, the boy controlled the
snake with his prayers and sealed it into the pipe. He then made a hole in the
wall of the Western Gopuram and put the snake into it. He informed the people
around that if anybody puts their hand inside the hole and utters a lie,
they will be bitten by the snake. The boy buried the medicines and instruments
of Alwar in a hole, very close to the Koothambalam, at the south side.
Those who view the tip of the Sree Kovil by standing on it and pray
lord Shiva don’t have to fear about snake bite for one day.
Kannagi:
Another legend is that Bhagawati is none other
than Kannagi of Silapathikaram fame and that Chenkundrur marks
the site in Chera Nadu where she observed penance under a tree after having
incinerated the city of Madurai. The Chera monarch Senguttuvan is
believed to have brought a piece of stone from the Himalayas, carved her image
and consecrated it here as Chenkamalavalli. The same legend holds at
the Kodungallur
Bhagawati temple.
Sage
Agastya stay in Chengannur:
Lord Vishnu, Brahma, Sages, Devas, Gandharvas, Yakshas
and all other heavenly ones went to Himalaya in order to attend the holy
marriage of Lord Shiva & Parvati. The Trimurthis requested sage Agastya to
go and sit on Shronadri, to prevent the Earth from sinking to northern side due
to the weight of all the invitees who came for the ceremony. Though Sage
Agasthya conceded to the request, but he expressed his concern about losing the
chance of viewing the marriage. Lord Shiva blessed Sage Agastya that whenever
he wished, he would get the divine vision of divine marriage.
After the marriage Lord Shiva and Devi went to meet Sage
Agasthya at Shronadri. Parvathi got her menstrual period for 28 days. Hence, she
could not go back. Devi remained there till the period of menstruation was
over. The place where sage Agastya meditated, is known as Shronadri in Sanskrit
and in Malayalam it is Chenkunnu (Red hill). Later it is called as Chen Kunnu Ooru
(Ooru refers to a place) and hence the place is known as Chengannur.
Sage Agastya
vision of divine marriage of Lord Shiva & Parvathy:
Sage Agastya had a vision of the
divine marriage of Shiva and Shakti here at this shrine, known as
Shronadri or the red hill (Chenkunnu). The legend of Agastya's vision of the
divine marriage is associated with several temples in Tamilnadu.
Mahabharata
Connection:
Tiruchenkunroor is one of the five ancient shrines
in the Chengannur region of Kerala, connected with Mahabharata. This is
the place where Yudhistra offered prayers to Vishnu, seeking pardon for his act
on the battlefield. He uttered the words “Ashwathama hatahkunjaraha” in an
attempt to deceive Drona and lead him into a defenceless state and his life was
brought to an end by Arjuna.
Perumthachan:
This place was leased to one Nayanaru Pillai. One day
while the maid servant (Kurathi) of Nayanaru Pillai, was working in this place,
she saw blood coming from a stone on which she was sharpening her weapon. This
fact was reported to Nayanaru Pillai and Vanghipuzha Thampuran. Vanghipuzha
Thampuran on the advice of Thazhaman Potty showered 36 para (measurement
in Malayalam) of ghee on that stone in order to stop the blood.
The Thampuran then constructed the temple except
the Koothambalam based on the plan of Perumthachan, a famous and respected
Thachan (carpenter). The Koothambalam alone could not be constructed by any of
them. Then the whole Koothambalam was constructed under the direct guidance of
Perumthachan. The original structure of the Koothambalam was in such a manner
that the shadow of the performer would not fall on the stage if all the lamps
were lit on each of the post of the Koothambalam.
When Perumthachan was asked to make an idol of Devi, he
pointed out a place to dig. On digging, an idol of Parvathi Devi was
found, and it was installed. After some years Perumthachan visited the place
again and informed Thazhaman Potty that the temple would be destroyed in fire
along with the Idol of Devi. He also gave an Idol of Devi made up of an alloy
of five metals (Panchaloka) and asked him to keep it.
After some years the prediction became true. The temple
was renovated after the fire and Devi’s Idol had been taken from the river with
the help of some fishermen (Arayas) of Karunagappalli, as recorded in the
Grandha written by Thazhaman Potty. As a mark of joy Thampuran gave fruits and
tender coconuts to those Arayas at the temple. This happened on a Shivarathri and
now also this day is celebrated with the same tradition.
Munro:
Once British officer Gov. Thomas Munro stopped sending
funds to this temple upon hearing that the presiding goddess was
experiencing monthly period. He was furious and considered it
"non-sense". Soon, his beloved wife had menstrual problem and the
bleeding never stopped. English medication was of no avail. On the advice
of some people close to him, he released the funds to the temple. Amazingly,
soon his wife 's health improved, and the bleeding stopped. Grateful Munro went
ahead and donated two gold bangles to the deity, besides forming a trust to
observe the celebration of the Thirupoothu (periods) of the Goddess.
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