Sunday, July 15, 2018

Sringandeeswarar Temple, Thiruvur – Legends

Sringandeeswarar Temple, Thiruvur – Legends

Rishyasringa was a boy born with the horns of a deer in Hindu-Buddhist mythology. His father was the Vibhandaka Rishi, and his mother was a celestial paramour, Urvashi. According to another legend, he was believed to have been born of a doe and from the slight protrusion of his forehead. According to legend, his father was seduced by the celestial damsel Urvasi by order of Indra, the king of gods, who feared the yogic powers gained out of penance by the rishi could prove fatal to the very existence of heavenly world. The father was seduced and out of his relationship with the damsel was born Rishyasringa.
However, immediately after the child was born, Urvashi, after completing the duty she was sent for, left the young born child and her lover and made her way to the heavens. The incident left the father with extreme hatred towards women folk, and he raised the boy in a forest, isolated from society. He never saw any girls or women and was not told of their existence. The tradition states that he was endowed with magical and miraculous powers.
There is another story in Buddhist version, a sage life alone in the Himalayas, there is semen in the urine he passes, and a deer who happens to eat the grass in that place gets pregnant from it. A human boy is later born to the deer and he is brought up in complete seclusion from mankind, and most importantly, from womankind. When the boy becomes a young man, the kingdom of Anga suffers from drought and famine.
King Romapada, is told that this can only be alleviated by a brahmin with the powers that come from observance of perfect chastity. The only such person is Rishyasringa. He has to be brought to the city and be persuaded to carry out the necessary ceremonies. Despite his fear of the power and anger of the boy's father, the king sends young women to introduce the boy into normal society. This was successfully done by Vaishali,
Rishyasringa uses his powers, the kingdom receives bountiful rains and Rishyasringa marries Shanta. In another version of the story, the forest in which the boy is brought up is part of Anga. The boy's upbringing without knowledge of women is itself the cause of the troubles of the kingdom. The story can be found in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
According to the Ramayana, Rishyasringa was the chief priest when the king Dasharatha performed a yajna to beget progeny, and RamaBharata, and the twins Lakshmana and Shatrugna were born. It was believed that Sage Rishya Shringa had installed Shiva Lingas in various parts of the country for rains and fertility. Presiding Deity of this Temple is one such lingam, situated on the banks of the Cooum at Thiruvur. Hence, the lingam was installed by Rishya Shringa, Lord Shiva came to be called as Sringandeeswarar.