Amanalingeswarar Temple, Thirumoorthy Hills,
Udumalaipettai – Legends
According
to Hindu mythology, Atri Maharishi along with his wife Anusuya Devi lived here.
Sage Narada was moved by the Anusuya’s Devotion to husband and he praised
her a lot before the wives of Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva which made them envious of
her. They requested their husbands to reduce her devotion to husband.
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva went to Anusuya as guests
when Atri Maharishi was not there at home. They asked her to serve
them food.
When she
agreed to do so, they said that they will accept her alms on the condition that
she serves them without wearing clothes. Anusuya falls into a quandary. If she
comes without clothes in front of other men her devotion to husband will be
reduced. If she refuses then that will be a disgrace to the guests and they can
take away all the power of Atri. Anusuya felt that the three guests who asked
such a strange favour are not common people since they are trying to place her
in a fiddly situation.
Anusuya
prayed to her husband in her mind and said that she doesn’t have any fear
serving them without clothes as she is not affected by desire. When she heard
the guests asking for alms saying Oh Mother! Give us some food where they
called her a mother, she decided to consider them as her children and serve
them as requested. Because of her greatness and as per her thoughts by the time
she came to serve food the three gods became small children and her breasts
started producing milk. She then breastfed them and put them to sleep in a
cradle.
Atri
came back afterwards and hearing the story from Anusuya praised the three gods
sleeping in the cradle. They woke up in their original form and praised
Anusuya’s devotion to husband and gave her a boon. Anusuya requested that these
three should be born as her children—the incarnation of Shiva, Vishnu and
Brahma as sage Durvasa, Dattatreya and the moon-god Chandra. The
Thiru Moorthi’s blessed the couple and hence the place is known as Thiru
Moorthi hills.
Of the
many places sacredly attached to Lord, Tirumuthi hills occupy a significant
place, because, it is believed that Lord graces here invisibly as a
child. He imparts all boons the devotee asks
for. Tirumurthimalai is also the place indicated by Lord Shiva to
Sage Agasthya to have his Kailash wedding darshan. The place is also
revered as Panchalinga Sthala, hence praised as Kailash of South.