Naanmadiya Perumal Temple (Thalai Sanga
Nanmathiyam), Thalaichangadu – Legends
Chandra, elder brother of Lakshmi:
When
Devas and the demons churned the milk ocean for nectar, Chandra appeared before
Sri Mahalakshmi, hence enjoys the status as her elder brother. He occupies
the second place next to Sun in the planetary line.
Guru curse on Chandra:
The
other story is that Moon was born to Sage Athiri and his wife Anusuya,
according to Puranas. Moon is handsome and is the disciple of Jupiter and
well versed in scriptures. He conducted a yajna called Raja Suya which was
attended a huge number of Rishis and Dhara wife of Jupiter. When they
looked at each other in the event, they began to love each other.
Shocked
Deva Guru Jupiter reported this to Lord Vishnu and cursed his disciple with
leprosy. Meantime, a son was born to Moon and Dhara named Bhuda, also a planet
called Mercury. As advised by Lord Vishnu, Moon returned Dhara to his
Guru. Budha hated his father for his misdeed, performed severe penance and
became a planet.
Daksha curse on Moon:
Moon
committed the next mistake. He married the 27 daughters of Daksha
promising him that he would treat each one with equal love. But he did
not. He was very fond of Rohini alone and ignored others. The
aggrieved daughters approached their father-Daksha and narrated their
condition. Angry Daksha cursed that his handsome face will depreciate day by
day. Full moon began to face the impact of the curse.
Chandra relief from the curses:
Chandra
had to suffer a double curse. He surrendered at the feet of Lord Vishnu
for relief. Perumal advised Chandra to visit Srirangam, Tiru Indalur
and Thalaichanga Naanmadiyam, have a dip in the sacred springs there and
perform penance on him for relief. Chandra meticulously followed Lord’s
advice and got the relief at this place – Thalaichanga Naanmadiyam. Lord
granted darshan to Chandra and also wore him as an ornament on his head.
Vishnu worshipped Shiva here:
Vishnu worshipped
Lord Shiva to acquire the famous conch, Panchajanyam. There
is a famous Sayavaneswarar Temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva in the same village, where Lord Vishnu is believed to have worshipped Lord Shiva.