Milagu Pillaiyar Temple, Cheranmahadevi, Thirunelveli
Milagu
Pillaiyar Temple is dedicated to Hindu God Vinayaka located at Cheranmahadevi
in Thirunelveli District of Tamilnadu.
Legends
A king
ruling Kerala then was suffering from a disease that could not be cured by any
medicine. He heard a voice in his dream asking him to make a doll equal to
his height, fill it with emerald pearls of pulse size, place his disease also
into it and donate the idol to a Brahmin. Following the divine advice, the
king made the doll according to the specifications of the voice but no Brahmin
was ready to accept it. A Brahmin youth in Karnataka heard of the news
came to the king and accepted his donation.
Sooner
the doll changed hands, it became alive and demanded a part of the benefits of
the Gayatri Mahamantra the youth was chanting all his life so that the disease
in the doll would not touch him. The Brahmin obliged but felt sorry later
that he had done wrong due to his desire for the wealth. As repentance, he
wanted to spend the wealth for a public cause. But he was not able to
decide a particular project and decided to meet Sage Agastya for his advice.
Before
his departure to meet Sage Agastya, he left the pearl filled doll with a
Brahmin in Ambasamudram whom trusted and told him that he would take it back on
his return. Sage Agastya, to test the determination of the youth created many
obstacles on the way, but the youth endured all the sufferings and reached the
sage. The sage promised him his wish and asked him what he
wanted. The Karnataka youth expressed his desire.
The sage
told the boy that of all the good deeds, creating water facility was the
best. He told him to follow a cow he would meet on his return and asked to
follow it holding its tail and note down the route carefully and dig a
canal. He advised the youth to build dams in places where it leaves its
dung and make storing places where it urinated. Also create lakes where
it’s rested down. The cow would disappear at a place where he could complete
his project.
The
youth came to the Brahmin to get the doll back. There were only pulse
pieces but not the pearls. He went to the king and explained his project
and how he was cheated. The king came to the Brahmin and demanded him to
swear in front of Lord Shiva in a temple. The Brahmin was burnt there as
he swore falsely. The youth got back the priceless pearls. Cheranmahadevi is
the place where the Karnataka youth found the cow. He did everything as
instructed by sage Agasthya.
The cow
disappeared at a place called Prancheri where he created a big lake. It is
as vast as a sea even now. As noble souls never seek publicity for they did,
till today nobody knows the name of the Karnataka youth. Hence, the canal
is named after his mother tongue Kannada. He was annoyed what to do if
monsoon failed and it so happened for three years.
The
youth installed a Vinayaka, ground pepper on his body, performed abishek and
made it fall in the canal. Dark clouds gathered and poured heavy
rains. The farmers of Cheranmahadevi are following this worship even
today.
The
Temple
The
Karnataka Youth built this canal in Cheranmahadevi. The canal is named
‘Kannadian Kalvai’. He not only built the canal but also a Vinayaka temple
with a totally different worship pattern in Cheranmahadevi in Thirunelveli
district. His Holiness Sri Kanchi Maha Swamigal, in his “Voice of Divinity”
(Deivathin Kural) has mentioned about this canal quoting from a book
‘Kavyamala’ published by Nirnayasagar Printers in Mumbai based on some old and
other copper epigraphy collected by them. There is also a mention about
Milagu Pillaiyar worship in the Government Gazette published in the year 1916
in page 367.
Temple
Opening Time
The
temple is open from 8.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.
Worship
Practices
The
farmers during deficiency of rain worship their Rain Deity, the statue of god
Pillaiyar is anointed by coating his body with pepper paste or powder and then
cleaned by pouring water. The holy pepper water flowing from his body is made to
flow towards the Canal - Kalvai - close to the temple. Thus the people believe
that rain will come by doing this practice.
Festivals
Vinayaka
Chaturthi is grandly celebrated in the temple.
Prayers
When
monsoon fails, the Farmers’ Association of Cheranmahadevi pray to this Vinayaka
by grinding pepper on him, perform abishek in a way that the abishekam water
falls in the canal so that monsoon would set in. Devotees perform special abishekam
to Lord Milagu Pillaiyar and contribute what they could and feed the poor –
annadhanam.
Connectivity
Milagu Pillaiyar
Temple is located at Cheranmahadevi in Thirunelveli District of Tamilnadu. The
temple is on the banks of the Kannadian canal near the bus stand. Cheranmahadevi
is located at about 50 Kms from Tenkasi, 17 Kms from Ambasamudram, 6 Kms from
Veeravanallur, 30 Kms from Thirunelveli, 190 Kms from Madurai & 155 Kms
from Thiruvananthapuram. Buses are available every 15 minutes from Thirunelveli
to Cheranmahadevi. The temple is 30 kms from Nambi Divyadesam at Thiru
Kurungudi and 20 kms from Kulasekara Azhwar Rajagopalaswamy temple in
Mannarkoil (Ambai). Nearest Railway Station is located at Cheranmahadevi and
Nearest Airport is located at Madurai and Thiruvananthapuram.
