Naganathaswamy Temple (Rahu Sthalam),
Tirunageswaram – Legends
All the Ashta Maha serpents –
the eight great serpents- (Ananthan, Vasuki, Thatchakan, Karkodaka, Sankapalan,
Kulikan, Padman and Mahapadman) along with Adiseshan worshiped Lord Shiva here.
Hence, Lord Shiva here is praised as Thiru Naga Nathar (Nagam means snake and
Nathar means the Lord in Tamil) and the place gets the name Thiru Nageswaram.
Indra relief from Sage Gautama Curse:
As per Hindu
legend, Indra was cursed by sage Gautama as he misbehaved
with the latter's wife Agalya. Due to the curse, a bad smell was emanating
from his body. To obtain deliverance from the sage's curse, it is said that
Indra worshipped Giri Gujambigai with a scented material termed Punugu for 45
days.
Maha Pralayam:
According to Hindu mythology, at
the end of every Yuga, there is a huge flood called Maha Pralayam occurs and the
whole world immerses in a deluge on account of the wrath of Hindu god Shiva for
the sins committed by humans in earth. Lord Brahma prepared himself for
the next cycle of creation. He put all the seeds from which creation would
sprout in amrita (the elixir of immortality) along with four Vedas and Puranas
and kept them together in a clay pot. On top of the pot, he placed a coconut
with mango leaves and wrapping around the pot’s neck a sacred thread. He then
placed the pot on the peak of Mount Meru in the Himalayas.
When the Maha Pralayam started,
it destroyed all living creatures on the earth. The Amutha Kalasa also got
displaced and started floating on the seas for years. Eventually when the
Pralayam stopped, the Kalasa settled in Kumbakonam. The drops of nectar are believed
to have fallen onto five shrines around Kumbakonam, namely Mahalingeswarar
Temple at Thiruvidaimarudur, Airavateshwarar Temple at Darasuram, Naganathar Temple at Tirunageswaram, Swaminathaswamy Temple at Swamimalai and Sundareswarar
Temple at Koranattu Karuppur.
Ragu Bhagavan relief from Sage Sushila Curse:
Once, Saint Sushila cursed Ragu
Bhagavan (Sun’s Ascend Node), one of the nine orbiting planets. To absolve his
curse, Ragu worshipped Lord Siva in Kumbakonam Keelkottam in the first quarter
of the night – First Jamam and Senbakaranyam in the Second quarter, and Thirupampuram
in the Third quarter, and Nagaikaronam in the Fourth quarter and at last at
Usha time came to this holy Senbaka forest and prayed to him to absolve his
curse. Not only was Rahu liberated from his curse, but he was also granted the
boon of liberating devotees from Naga Dosham who come here and offer their
sincere prayers.
To prevent devotees from fear of
invoking the blessings of a Snake God, it is believed that the venom is washed
away in the milk abhisheka that is performed every day when the milk turns
blue. It is also to take away the fear of devotees that Rahu provides darshan
in an Abhaya Varada Posture with Naga Valli and Naga Kanni by his side in the southwest
corner of this temple. In memory of this event, Rahu goes on a procession
across the four big streets of Thiru Nageswaram on Maha Shivarathri in Maasi
and then invokes the blessings of Lord Naganathaswamy.
Churning of Milk Ocean:
The Devas and asuras churned the
Parkadal to obtain Amirtha that would free them from death, keeping them alive
for ever. When the Amirtha emerged, Lord Vishnu in the guise of Mohini was
distributing the Amirtha only to the Devas. He was worried that the evil deeds
of the asuras will increase multifold if they consumed Amirtha. Realizing this,
one of the asuras with the help of the Asura guru Sukracharya, took the form of
a deva and consumed the nectar. Suryan and Chandran who noticed this,
complained to Lord Narayana.
In anger, Lord Narayana hit the
Asura on the head with the spoon in his hand. The head was cut off and fell on
the ground. Because the Asura had consumed Amirtha, his head and body continued
to live. Raahu prayed to Lord Shiva of this temple for forgiveness. It is
believed that Lord Shiva has restored him back to life by placing the severed
head on a snake’s body. Lord Shiva also blessed him and gave him a place among
the nine planets. Rahu takes his revenge on Suryan and Chandran, whenever he
gets a chance by devouring them. This is commonly called as eclipse.
Mother Parvathi is worshipping Lord Shiva here:
According to legend, Lord Shiva
had asked Goddess Parvathi to go to earth and perform penance because she had
punished Sage Birungi severely. Lord Shiva also told her that Goddesses Lakshmi
and Saraswathi will accompany her. Goddess Parvathi selected this place
(Thirunageswaram) to perform her penance. Pleased with her penance, Lord Shiva
blessed her with his darshan and took her back to Mount Kailash. Goddess
Parvathi is praised here as Sri Girigujambal.
The Goddess is said to be
Swayambhu as she is present in the form of Meru. Hence,
no Abhishekam (ablution) is performed for the image. It is believed that
Mother is still worshipping Lord Shiva here with Lakshmi, Saraswathi, Ganesha, Muruga
and Shasta. Maha Bhairava is still believed to be guarding and assisting
the divine mother during her prayers.
Shenbakaranyeswarar:
According to legend, in ancient
times, this region was a forest densely covered with Senbaka trees. Hence this
place gets the name Shenbakaranyam and the lord is praised as
Shenbakaranyeswarar.
Historical Names:
The historical names of this place are Shenbaga Vanam and Girikannikai Vanam.
King Sambumali attained Moksha here:
King Sambumali who had incurred
the wrath of sage Kaalangiri, attained moksha after bathing in the temple tank
and praying to the Lord and Mother of this temple.
Poudiga Purana:
Poudiga Purana contains the fact
that Lord Shiva once told his consort Umadevi about Senbakaranyam, now called
Thirunageswaram and its renown.
Sage Gautama re-united with his wife Akalika:
Sage Gautama was re-united with
his wife Akalika after worshiping the Lord Shiva here.
Emperor Nalan regained his lost wealth:
Emperor Nalan regained his lost
wealth after praying to Lord Shiva of this Temple.
Pandavas regained their kingdom:
Pandavas regained their kingdom after
worshipping Lord Shiva of this Temple.
Chandra Varman got cured of his curse:
Chandra Varman, who had been
turned into a dog due to a curse, was restored to his original form after he
took a dip in this temple’s holy water and worshiped the lord here.
Adhikara Nandeeswarar:
Nandi attained the status of
Adhikara Nandeeswarar after worshipping Lord Shiva here.
Ganapathy:
Lord Vinayaka attained the
status of Ganapathy (the head of Ganas, the attendants of Lord Shiva) after
worshipping Lord Shiva here.
Sage Brinki got the darshan of all the three
goddesses:
It is believed that Sage Brinki
got the darshan of all the three goddesses (Parvathy, Lakshmi and Saraswathi)
simultaneously here.
Depiction of Parvathi in three forms:
This is the only place where
Goddess Parvathy is depicted as a child in the morning, a young girl in the
noon and in the evening as a fully-grown woman with knowledge of the 16 arts.
People worshipped Lord Shiva here:
Suryan, Vinayagar, Nandi,
Pandavas, Sage Vashishta, Indra, Brahma, Chandrasenan, Aadi Sesha, Dakshan, Karkotaka,
Emperor Nala, Sage Gowthama, Sage Parasarar, Sownaka, Nargunan, Bhagiratha and
Rahu Bhagawan worshipped Lord Shiva here.