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Monday, October 16, 2017

Maragadachaleswarar Temple, Thiruengoimalai – Legends

Maragadachaleswarar Temple, Thiruengoimalai – Legends
Sage Agasthya worshipped Lord Shiva in the form of Bee:
The name of the place is said to be derived from Thiru-i-ongaimalai (‘i’ meaning bee in Tamil) and to have been so called because the sage Agasthiar, finding the gates of the temple closed one evening, took the form of a bee and entered the temple to perform his worship.
Sivasakthi Malai:
Ambal worshipped Lord Shiva here and so the hill is also called Sivasakthi Malai.
Attaining Salvation by worshipping three temples in a row:
There are three important sacred Shiva temples in this region glorified by the Thevara hymns and Agathiar used to worship all the three in a single day. Agasthiar was not satisfied even after worshipping so many temples in south and finally got satisfaction after worshipping these three temples. He worshipped Kadamba Nathar at Kadambar Koil in the morning, Rathnagreeswarar temple at Ayyarmalai (Thiruvatpokki) in the noon, and the Thiruvengi Nathar at Thiru-engoi-malai in the evening. It is considered that worshipping all of them in a single day will get us salvation.
Lord Shiva gave Gold to Sundarar here:
When Sundarar went to see the Lord, he hid himself in tamarind and when Sambandhar asked for gold, he gave the tamarind from the tree which became gold.
Musukuntha Chakravarthy worshiped Lord Shiva here:
Legendary Chola Emperor Musukuntha Chakravarthy worshiped Lord Shiva here.
Bogar meditated here:
Bogar meditated and attained siddhi of making “Nava Pashanam” in this hill temple, hence there is a Bogar Shrine at the foot hill.
Maragatha Lingam:
The lingam of the temple is said to be transparent and also to throw a green shadow when camphor is burned. It is therefore called the 'emerald' (Maragatha) lingam.