Bhu Varaha Swamy Temple, Srimushnam – Legends
Varaha
Avathaar:
The temple is associated with Varaha, the boar avatar of Vishnu. The demon king Hiranyaksha stole the earth and took it to his realm of
the netherworld. The earth-goddess Bhudevi prayed to Vishnu to rescue her. Pleased, Vishnu
appeared here in the form of Varaha, a boar, killed the demon. The sweat of the
demon king dropped here, creating the temple tank. In his dying wish, the demon
king asked Vishnu to turn towards his direction; Vishnu obliged. The central
icon faces towards the demon in the South, while his human body faces the
devotees in the West. The festival icon, Yagya Varahaswami, as requested by
Bhudevi displays the regular features of Vishnu with his conch and Chakra in
his hands.
Lord Vishnu resides here in three forms:
It is said that Lord Vishnu resides in this particular place in three forms.
First, in the form of Ashwatha tree; second, in the form of Nithya Pushkarani;
and third in the form of Bhoo Varaha Swamy. The temple tank, called Nithya
Pushkarani, is known for its medicinal values, which is a panacea. The Ashwatha
tree, stands like a colossus near the sacred tank. It is believed that it has a
beneficial effect of blessing sterile women with progeny. Meditation and
chanting of 'Gayathri Mantra' under the tree after bathing in the holy tank
vouchsafes a place in the heavens.
Similar
to Tirupathi:
While in Tirupathi Divya Desam, Devotees should first
visit Varaha before darshan of Presiding Deity, Srinivasa Perumal, here at
Srimushnam, Devotees should first visit the Srinivasa Perumal Shrine at the
Western entrance before a darshan of Bhoo Varahaswami.
Swayam
Vyaktha Kshetram:
Srimushnam is one of the eight Swayambu Vyaktha Kshetrams
in India. The others are Srirangam, Tirupathi and Vanamamalai (Nanguneri) in
South India and Saligramam, Naimisaranya, Pushkaram and Badri in North India.
The speciality at the Srimushnam temple is Thirumanjanam for the Saligrama idol
is performed every day.
Temple
Construction:
While Bhu Varaha Swamy is a Swayambu idol, the temple
here in Srimushnam is said to have been constructed by Four Nayak kings- Achyutappa,
Ananthappa, Govindappa and Kondappa Nayak. The story goes that Ananthappa Nayak
developed severe stomach pain when they camped at Rajendrapatnam, 8 Kms East of
Srimushnam. He was relieved of his pains when Lord Vishnu came in his dreams
and touched his stomach with his leg. Delighted at this, he came here and
constructed the temple. To this day, one can see the five fingers of the Lord
below his left stomach.
Event
marking Muslim-Hindu Unity:
As per another legend, a local Nawab on the county was
ailing with Carbuncle and was given up by all the doctors. He is believed to
have prayed Bhu Varaha and was cured off all his ailments. He made generous
contributions to the temple and was later named Bhura Sahib. Each year the
deity is taken to the village where his descendants make offerings to the
deity. In Maasi, the Utsava deity goes on a 20 day procession to Killai and
other nearby villages near Chidambaram. An interesting feature of this festival
is that the Muslims in the area offer Prasadams to the Lord Yagya Varaha and
they take back the flower of the Lord and offer it to Allah.
It is indeed unique that the Lord stops in front of the
mosque and accepts garlands and candy from the chief kazi. After lighting the
camphor in the mosque, the kazi recites verses from the Holy Koran. The Muslim
devotees are said to thank Allah for having brought Varaha Swamy to their
place. Srimushnam Bhoo Varaha Swamy is the only temple that brings
together such unity between Muslims and Hindus and this event continues to take
place to this day.