Samavedeeswarar Temple, Thirumangalam – Legends
Sama Vedeeswarar:
Veda Vyasa divided the ancient Vedic hymns into four categories and named them as Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva. He passed on the knowledge of those four Vedas to his four disciples. Jaimini was one of those four disciples who learnt Sama Veda from Vyasa. It is said that Jaimini interpreted Sama Veda and further classified that into multiple verses as per his interpretation in this temple. Hence, the presiding deity of the temple is named as Sama Vedeeswarar. It should be noted that no other Shiva temple is named after a Veda.
Parasurameswaram:
Parasurama had to kill his own mother due to some reasons. He came to this temple to get rid of his Matru hatya sin. Hence, the holy tank of this temple is named as Parasurama Theertham and the village is also called as Parasurameswaram.
Thirumangalam:
Lakshmi worshiped Shiva in this temple. Hence, the village is called as Thirumangalam.
Equivalent to Gaya & Kashi:
Ravikuruva Rishi, a lesser known sage, wanted to attain liberation and came to this village. As he could not find a river nearby, he decided to go to Gaya and Kasi. Lord Shiva stopped him and he created a river in this village. The river that flows in this village is called as Gaya Phalguni river. This site is considered as equivalent to Gaya and Kasi.
Anaya Nayanar:
Anaya Nayanar is considered as one of the 63 Nayanmars. He was born in this village. He was a cowherd and a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Anaya Nayanar used to play the Panchakshara Mantra in his flute. He was so good in his music and his devotion to Shiva that even the animals and birds would listen to his music. The celestials and the sages would gather to listen to him. Ultimately, Shiva along with his consort Uma, pleased by his bhakti and music, appeared to him. The great devotee got absorbed into the supreme deity in this village.
Chandikeswarar got rid of his sin of killing his father here:
Chandikeswarar visited many pilgrim centers to absolve his sin of killing his own father. Ultimately, he came to Thirumangalam and worshiped Sama Vedeeswarar. His sins were absolved in this site.
Ravana installed Presiding Deity here:
As per a legend, the presiding deity of the temple was installed by Ravana.
Uthanga Rishi got Amrita here:
Uthanga Rishi did penance towards Shiva and got amrita in this site.
