Kailasanathar Temple, Murappanadu – Legends

Kailasanathar Temple, Murappanadu – Legends

Navakailasam:

Sage Romesa like to establish the Shivalingas on the banks of the Tambiraparani. So, he approached his guru Agasthya, who advised to throw flowers used for Shiva puja on the river and do the installations where the flowers reached the shores. Based on his advice, sage Romesa threw lotus flower, nine of this flower reached the bank. One of the Lotus flower reached in the village near Murappanadu. This temple is dedicated to one of nine planets Jupiter (Guru).

Horse faced Nandhi:

Long ago, a Chozha King performed a penance praying for a child. As a result of his prayers, a girl with the face of a horse was born. The king was deeply saddened and engaged in a harsh penance. Lord Shiva was pleased with the king’s prayer and appeared before him. The king wept and explained the plight of his young daughter. He pleaded to the Lord, “Please grant a beautiful face for my daughter”. The Lord replied, “Take a dip in the river Thamirabarani, also known as the Dakshina Gangai and worship the Lord there. You will attain what your heart desires”.

As per the Lord’s command, the Chozha King came to Murappanadu along with his daughter. As soon as they took a dip in the Kasi Theertham and worshipped the Lord, his daughter’s face miraculously turned into a human face. The horse face was accepted by Lord Nandi and one can see the horse faced Nandi idol here. Religious scholars claim that the king then built this temple to show his gratitude to the Lord.

Story behind the name Murappanadu:

Once, holy sages were tormented by the atrocities committed by a group of demons (Asuras), under the leadership of Soorapadman. The sages stood in form and prayed to the Lord, to rescue them from this heinous act of the Asuras. Hence the place acquired its name “Murappanadu” which means “the place where sages stood in order and prayed to the Lord”.
“Muraipadi Eswararai Naadi Ninra Oor” later became known as Murappanadu. The temple for “Murambeswarar” near this village stands as a testimony to this incident. The place where that temple is located is now known as “Vasavapuram”.

Lady chased away Tiger using a Winnow:

Another legend says that a brave woman of this village chased away a wild tiger using a winnow (a household appliance for removing impurities from grains). Hence this place came to be called as “Murappanadu”.

Murambu Stones:

There is a flatland full of huge stones called as “Murambu”, in this village. Hence this place came to be known as “Murappanadu” or “the place of Murambu stones”.

Dakshina Ganga:

Murappanadu has a unique speciality among all the Nava Kailasam temples. The reason for this is the River Thamirabarani that flows before this temple. There are only two rivers in India that flow from North to South. One is the River Ganges at Kasi and the other is Thamirabarani at Murappanadu. This river is praised as “Dakshina Gangai” and said that taking a dip in the river here is as beneficial as taking a dip in the holy Ganges at Kasi. The sacred bathing Ghats along the banks of this river are known as “Kasi Theertha Kattam” and “Sabari Theertham”.

Auspicious days to take a dip in this river:

New Moon Day on the Months of Aadi (mid-July to mid-August), Thai (mid-January to mid-February) and Last Friday and Saturday of every Tamil month are the auspicious days to take dip in this river.