Chengannur Mahadeva Temple, Alappuzha – Legends

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 (8^th 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 (8^th - 9^th 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.