Thanthondreeswarar Temple, Belur – Legends
Story of Milagu Chetty:
Manickam
Chetty, a pepper merchant was living near a village close to the temple. His
job was carrying loads of pepper and selling it in the market place. One day he
was crossing this dense forest where the shrine is located at present. As
darkness sunk in, he wanted to take rest. In order to eat, he crossed pea
aubergine (Sundaikai, an edible vegetable) with a stone.
Suddenly
he heard a voice saying, "The stone hurts my head. Apply some pepper on my
head. Bewildered by this incident, the merchant said that he did not have any
pepper and added that he had only Black Gram (Ulundu). Next day he proceeded to
the market place and opened his baggage. He was shocked to find black gram
instead of pepper.
He
worshipped God and prayed for his forgiveness. God asked him to bring some mud
from the place where he had crushed pea aubergine (Sundaikai) and spray it in
the baggage containing black gram. He followed his instructions and black gram
transformed into pepper again.
On his
way back, out of curiosity, he examined the place where he took rest. He was
surprised to find a Suyambu Lingam (Lingam which originates by itself from earth). He
worshipped the Lord and it is believed that the inner sanctum of the temple was
built by him. Henceforth he was called Milagu Chetty (Milagu means Pepper) and
the place where pepper transformed into black gram is called Ulundurpettai.
The
place has retained its name since then. As per history the inner sanctum was
constructed by Milagu Chetty and the rest was constructed by king Paranthaka
chola. This has been mentioned in the book "The Manual of Salem District
in the Presidency of Madras" by Lee Fanu and the same idea has been
endorsed by Rajannan, a History professor.
Arjuna’s Pilgrimage:
Arjuna,
during his pilgrimage came to the Theerthamalai nearby and worshipped Lord
Shiva. Lord Vishnu advised him to use his arrow with the worshipful
thought of Lord Shiva. Pleased with his worship and the arrow shot, Lord
Shiva parted with one tenth of the Ganga water under his control. It was a
crystal white water that flowed as Vellaru – White River. Sage Vasishta
added more reputation to the place with his Yajna.