Agastheeshwarar Temple, Ambasamudram – Legends
As per
the legend, when Lord Shiva married Parvati in the Himalayas, all the deities,
Devas, seers and the others gathered there. Due to this, the earth lost its
balance and tilted. Lord Shiva ordered Agastya to go towards south to balance
the level of the earth. On his way to Pothigai hills in the south, Agastya
visited many sites and installed a lot of Shiva Lingas. We can see so many
Agastheeshwarar temples in South India.
It is
believed that all of them were installed by the sage. In Kallidaikurichi
village, the sage was taking rest under a tamarind tree. A devotee met the
saint and invited him to have lunch in his home. However, the sage requested
the devotee to bring the food there itself. As the devotee did not return on
time, the sage started moving towards Pothigai hills. The devotee apparently
realized that the sage left the place already. He vowed that he would not
return home till the seer accepts his offer.
Moved by
his devotion, the sage gave darshan to him in Ambasamudram (may be the place where
the devotee was living) and had food offered by him. There are two temples
dedicated to the sage in both these sites - Kallidaikurichi and Ambasamudram.
The Ambasamudram is the site where the sage gave darshan to the devotee.