Bhairavanatha Swami Temple,
Thagattoor – Legends
Kalabhairava of Kasi:
Lord Rama decided to perform
Shiva puja in Rameswaram to cleanse himself of the sin of killing Ravana in the
Sri Lanka war. He sent Sri Anjaneya to Kasi to get him a Shivalinga from there.
When he returned with the Linga, Lord Kalabhairava also came with him. Kalabhairava
is the security God of temples. While closing the temples, the keys would be
placed before Kalabhairava. Anyone attempting to even touch the key would meet
with his end. On the way to Rameshwaram, Hanuman visited this
place. Kalabhairava, who accompanied him, chose to stay in Thagattoor
itself.
Birth of Bhairavar:
The book, Abhidana Chintamani
speaks about the birth of Lord Bhairava. A demon, Tharuka Suran performed
penance and demanded Lord Shiva to bless him with immortality. Lord Shiva told
him that everything born should meet with death one day and suggested that he
may ask for one who could not cause him death. Agreeing, Tharuka Suran asked
that he could not be killed by anyone except by a woman. He thought that as man
with high physical prowess, a woman cannot be able to kill him. He began his
arrogant activities and the time for his end came. Devas of the celestial world
appealed to Lord Shiva to protect them from the demon.
Mother Parvathi created a spark
from the poison once devoured by Lord Shiva. It took the form of a woman. The
poison was called Kalam; hence the woman was named Kali. Kali turned on the
direction of Tharuka Suran furiously. Her fury turned into fire and burnt the
demon. Then the Kali converted the fire into a child, breast-fed it. Then Lord
Shiva made Kali and the child enter his body, from which 8 children came out.
Lord Shiva amalgamated the 8 into one and named it Bhairava.
Thagattoor:
The place, Thagattoor
is a Tamil translation from the Sanskrit word Yantra made mainly of copper
sheets with some diagrams. Traditionally Yantras as Sri Chakra are installed in
temples and there is one such in this
temple also.