Eka Pushpa Priya Nathar Swamy Temple, Thiruthiyamalai
– Legends
The temple has a highly sacred and rare legend history
behind it: On a Maha Sivarathiri day, Naradhar revealed a secret to all the
rishis at the deva Loha. He said there is a flower called “Argyadeva Valli”
that appears only once on a particular day at a particular time and worshipping
Shiva with this flower will get immediate salvation to crores of lives. It is
equivalent to worshipping with all the flowers in the whole world. All the rishis
selected Brighu maharishi as the fittest person to carry out this task. Brighu
maharishi got just one clue from Naradhar that this flower will bloom on earth.
After penancing at various places, Brighu maharishi came
to Thirukkalambur Vaidhyanatha Swamy temple near Singampunari. A plantain
thread from the sacred plantain tree of this temple showed way to Brighu
maharishi through Piranmalai, Kolakkudi, Kanjathu Malai, Thirumalai, Kunrakudi,
Nedungudi and finally disappeared at Thiruthiyamalai. At that time, to his
surprise, Agasthiar was undergoing ‘one crore Girivalam’ around the hill along
with his wife Lobamatha.
Brighu maharishi got some details of the flower through
some secret phrases from Sage Agasthiar and from it, Brighu maharishi realized
that only people who got the Dharshan of 10 lakh Vilva trees will get the
chance to see the flower. So, he went to Kailayam and penanced for several
thousand years to prepare himself for the darshan. After that he came back to
Thiruthiyamalai and to his surprise, he met Agasthiar again there and received
some more secrets from him. At that time, he saw a huge tree in the middle of
the hill with more than 1008 ‘Thookkanakuruvi Koodu’ (Bird Nests).
Though he had done Girivalam so many times before, he
never saw that tree before. Thookkanakuruvi Koodu is considered as a good
Vasthu symbol and due to the 1008 of them here, this place is considered as a
highly powerful Vasthu power Sthalam. From the language of so many birds, he
understood that the flower is going to bloom on the next Maha Shivarathri day
and so waited in penance at the foot hill. On that eventful Maha Shivarathri
day, the Argyadevavalli flower finally bloomed and all the thousands of birds
flew in abundant happiness chanting ‘Om Namasivaya’.
Brighu maharishi was slightly upset that he could not
see the flower but the birds have already seen it. Agasthiar appeared again
with his wife and took Brighu maharishi for the first time to the hilltop (all
the time, he was at the foot hill only) and disappeared there. Brighu maharishi
finally got the glimpse of the flower as a reflection in the ‘Kodi Pushpa Aadhi
Mahamaha Theertham (Sunai)’ and then raised his head and got the direct darshan
of the flower.