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Friday, June 17, 2016

Sri Prasanna Venkataramanar Temple (Chinna Tirupati), Karuvalli, Omalur, Salem - Legends

Sri Prasanna Venkataramanar Temple (Chinna Tirupati), Karuvalli, Omalur, Salem - Legends
Lord Venkatesa searching Arappu Powder:
Lord Venkatesa in Tirupati came out for a bath.  He could not get the Arappu powder – soap nut powder – for the bath. Mother Alamelu Manga was also not available to help him. He set out in search of Mother but could not find her. He found the Arappu plants here, enjoyed a good bath and allured by the beauty of the hilly place, stayed here itself then.  Later, a shepherd found that one of the cows was pouring its milk on an anthill. People of the place were happy to see the Swayambu Perumal inside the anthill and built this temple.
Fight between Vayu & Adishesha:
Once, Vayu (the God of Wind) came to Vaikuntam to meet Lord Vishnu. With Adiseshan stopping Vayu, an argument arose as to who was mightier of the two. Adiseshan went and wound himself around the Anantha Mountain (Meru’s son). With Vayu blowing in full force, devas became worried. Answering their request, Adiseshan slightly moved one of his heads. Vayu’s speed hit the mountain with such force that one piece flew and fell here at Chinna Tirupathi.
Vishnu searching Lakshmi:
Another story goes that Vishnu came here searching for Goddess Lakshmi who had left him angered at him for not punishing Brigu rishi who had kicked him in the chest. Finding Adiseshan sleeping in the pit here in the mountain, Vishnu entered the pit. Coming to know of this, Shiva and Brahmma disguised themselves as a cow and a calf. As this region was full of cows, it was referred to as ‘Pasupatti’.
Malai Kandan and his descendants:
The cow would come here every morning and fill the pit with milk leaving her master in a shocked state as he was not able to get even a Litre of milk. Trying to understand the reason behind the cow going dry, he followed her one morning to this pit on the new mountain that had formed here. As he found the new mountain, he came to be called ‘Malai Kandaan’. To this day, the descendants of Malai Kandaan continue to perform service here at this temple.
As he narrated this story to the villagers, they came here to find out the truth. Inside the pit, they had darshan of Venkatachalapathi. A Pandya king, who was a devotee of Lord Vishnu, constructed this temple in its current form and structure installing the Swayambu idol. In memory of this event, the sculptures of the Pandya King, his queen and mother are seen here on the south side of the Artha mandapam. The Pandya king is believed to have provided grants to the temple. There are fish symbols atop the wall on the Artha mandapa.
Granting of villages in the 15th Century:
With the Muslim invasion, the temple had been closed. With no poojas offered to the Lord, this region had become a drought prone place. The Paalaya King who was ruling this region including Omalur in the 15thCentury AD once made a visit to Karuvalli on his horse. He found ‘Thirumalai Kannikakodi Thathachariyar’ invoking the Lord’s blessings on his way to Kasi.
He told the Paalaya King that performing a Varuna Jabam in a sincere way would bring rains back to this region. On his way back from Kasi, Thathachariyar performed the Jabam which instantly brought rains. A pleased king presented three villages to Thathachariyar, who then brought 60 families from Thirumalai to this region. One of the villages came to be called Thathaiyengar Pettai, near Namakkal.
Another village came to be called Thathayam Patti and is found near Omalur.  The descendants who were prolific in reciting Vedas were given the first rights at this temple for several centuries.
Contribution of Mysore kings:
The Mysore Kings constructed the huge temple tank at the foot of the hill. Float Festival is celebrated in a grand manner in Puratasi. Near the tank is a shandy market that is seen in full buzz every Saturday.