Abathsahayeswarar Temple, Ponnur
– Legends
Ratheeswarar:
Demon Taraka was harassing the devas
with the boon he obtained from Lord Brahma. Devas fell at the feet of Lord
Shiva for protection. As Lord Shiva was in deep meditation, they could not
wake him up. So, they engaged cupid (Manmatha), the authority to trigger
passion in the mind of anyone, to shoot the arrow of flowers on Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva got fury of the disturbance caused by Manmatha. He opened his third
eye on Manmatha which reduced Manmatha to ashes.
His wife Rathi begged Lord Shiva
in restoring his husband life. Lord Shiva said that she would get him back at
an appropriate time. Rathi performed severe penance on Lord Shiva. Manmatha
was restored back to life by Lord Shiva at this place. The couples jointly
worshipped Lord Shiva here. Hence, Lord Shiva came to be called as Ratheeswarar.
Abathsahayeswarar:
Harishchandra is a
legendary Indian king of the Ikshvaku dynasty. It is said that
Harishchandra was a truthful man, who never lied in his life and is therefore
also called Satyavadi (one who always speaks truth). He gave away his
kingdom, sold his family and agreed to be a slave to fulfill a promise he had
made to the sage Vishwamitra. He was facing hardships and to get
relief from his problems, he visited several Shiva Temples. He visited this
temple during his pilgrimage and worshipped Lord Shiva here. It is said that
Lord Shiva blessed him and helped him to overcome from his hardships. Hence,
Lord Shiva came to be called as Abathsahayeswarar
(Lord Shiva who comes to rescue when one faces hardships).
Agneeswarar:
As per legend, Lord Veerabhadra
punished Agni for participating in Daksha Yagna. Agni visited several Shiva
Temples to get relief from the sin of participating in Daksha Yagna. He came to
Anniyur and created a Theertham called Agni Theertham. He took bath in the
Theertham and worshipped Lord Shiva. It is said that Lord Shiva appeared before
Agni under the Sthala Vriksham (Lemon Tree). Hence, Lord Shiva came to be
called as Agneeswarar / Vighusaranyeswarar
Banu, a Brahmin got cure from leprosy here:
As per legend, Banu, a brahmin
was afflicted with leprosy disease. He came to this
temple, took bath in the Temple Theertham and worshipped Lord Shiva
for cure. It is believed that he got cure from his illness by the grace of Lord
Shiva.
Pandathaveswarar:
As per legend, Varuna, the god
of rain and the Pandavas visited this
Temple and worshiped Lord Shiva here. As Pandavas worshiped Lord
Shiva here, Lord Shiva came to be called as Pandathaveswarar.
Lord Surya got relief from the curse of Rati here:
As per legend, Lord Surya was
cursed by Rati, wife of Manmatha. Lord Surya visited this
temple and worshipped Lord Shiva to get relief from the curse of
Rati.
People worshipped Lord Shiva here:
Varuna, King Harichandra, Agni,
Surya, Rathi, Manmadha, Pandavas had worshipped Lord Shiva of this
temple.
