Apparswami Temple, Mylapore – Legends
The
history of Hinduism is made rich and inspiring by stories of famous saints
and spiritual leaders. The hardship they endured and the goals they achieved is
the force that drives our religion. Mylapore, a locality in Chennai, predates
British rule by several centuries. It was historically known as Vedapuri. As
the available historical and archaeological evidence show, it could well be the
oldest part of Chennai, with written records of early settlements going back to
the first century BC.
This
temple-oriented locality housed one of the great saints. Saint Appar Swamy
was a great devotee of Lord Siva. He spent all his time in meditation and
the pursuit of salvation. One day while Saint Appar Swamy was in
deep meditation, an Englishman was passing by. Without realizing the
dedication of Saint Appar Swamy, the Englishman mocked the saint in his
effort to realize God. Soon the Englishman returned to England. There
he suffered a paralytic stroke.
While he
lay recovering, he realized the error of mocking the holy man. He understood
the purity of the saint's efforts and wanted to make amends. The
Englishman returned to Mylapore and went to where the saint was
meditating. He fell at his feet and asked for forgiveness. Saint Appar
Swamy, who was ready to leave this body, asked the Englishman to provide him a
place where the saint to attain Jeeva Samadhi ("becoming one"
with the universal consciousness). The Englishman made arrangements for the
land. Saint Appar Swamy accepted the land and entered Jeeva Samadhi.
The sincere
remorse shown by the Englishman was rewarded. He fully recovered from his paralytic
stroke. After Saint Appar Swamy went into the samadi, his
closest disciple, Chidambaraswamy, worked towards building a
temple for his master. He installed a large Siva Linga on top of the samadi.
This is how the Apparswami temple came into being.