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 Rama, Bharata, 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.
