Somanathaswami Temple, Needur –
Legends
Munaiyaduvar
Nayanar:
Munaiyaduvar was a Nayanar saint, venerated in
the Hindu sect of Shaivism. He is generally counted as the 52nd
in the list of 63 Nayanars. Munaiyaduvar is described as a mercenary soldier,
who would fight for the weak and use the fees received in service of his patron
deity Lord Shiva and his devotees. One of the most prominent
Nayanars, Sundarar (8th century) venerates Munaiyaduvar in
the Tiruthonda Thogai, a hymn to Nayanar saints, which praises him as
Prince Manaiyatuvan who wields a spear in war.
The life of Munaiyaduvar is described in seven stanzas
in the Periya Puranam by Sekkizhar (12th century),
which is a hagiography of the 63 Nayanars. His name literally means "he
who fights in war". Munaiyaduvar was born in Thiru
Nidur in the Chola kingdom. He was a Vellalar, a
caste of agricultural land owners. He was a staunch devotee of the Lord Shiva,
the patron god of Shaivism. He served Shiva and his devotees. He was skilled in
warfare and worked as a mercenary soldier. The defeated would come to hire
him and promised him great booty.
Munaiyaduvar would assist them by winning battles for
them and would return with gold and gifts. He would use the acquired wealth to
welcome and feed the devotees of Shiva. After living a long year of service to
Shiva, he attained Kailash, Lord Shiva's abode after death. Munaiyaduvar
is worshipped in the Tamil month of Panguni, when the moon
enters the Pushya nakshatra (lunar mansion). He is depicted with a
crown, folded hands and a mace in crook of the arm. Besides having his own
shrine, he is also the procession deity in the temple.
Gana
Nardana Shankarar:
Once, Indra, the King of Devas, visited earth and
desired to perform Pooja to Lord Shiva. But he could not find a suitable Shivalinga for
the purpose. He reached the banks of the Kaveri River where he
collected wet mud to create a Shivalinga for worship. Indra performed pooja by
singing a melodious devotional song in praise of Lord Shiva. Indra desired to
witness the Thandava of Lord Shiva. Pleased by his devotion, Lord Shiva granted
his darshan to Indra as he wished.
Hence, Lord Shiva came to be called as Gana
Nardana Shankarar (Lord Shiva who danced to a devotional song). It
is believed that the above incident happened on Thiruvadhirai Nakshatra day in the
Tamil month of Margazhi. As the Lingam is made of sand, no abhishekam is
performed to it directly. It is always covered with Kuvalai (a metal covering).
The finger prints of Indra are visible on the surface of the Lingam.
Karkadeswarar:
As per legend, a demon named Thanmasudhan was born as a crab
(Nandu in Tamil) due to a curse in his previous birth. He sought the advice of
Maharshi Narada for relief. Maharshi Narada advised him to visit Needur
and worship Lord Shiva here. As advised, he came to this place, bathed in
Cauvery and worshipped Lord Shiva. Pleased with his penance, Lord granted
darshan to him. To facilitate his merger with him, Lord also made a hole
in himself. Nandu entered into the Linga through the hole and got merged
with Lord. The crab’s footprint and the hole are visible on the Linga. It is
said that the above incident happened in full moon day in the Tamil month of
Aadi. Hence, Lord Shiva came to be called as Karkadeswarar
(Karkada means crab in Sanskrit).
Aditya
Varada Ambika:
It is believed that Lord Suryan (Sun God) had worshipped
Mother Veyuru Tholi Ammai in this
temple. As Sun (Aditya) worshipped, she came to be called as Aditya
Varada Ambika.
Needur:
Needur in Tamil means
eternal place. As this place could not be destroyed even at the end of the
world by the great floods (pralaya), it is named Needur.
Somanathar:
As per legend, Lord Chandran (Soma) excavated a tank
called Chandra Theertham to get relief from his illness. He took bath in the tank,
worshiped Lord Shiva here and got cure for his illness. Hence, Lord Shiva came to
be called as Somanathar.
Aalala
Sundari:
As per legend, Bhadra Kali visited this
place after worshipping Lord Shiva in Kedarnath and Kasi. After her
arrival, Lord Shiva made Kali responsible for the safety of the villagers here.
A separate shrine for Kali called as Aalala Sundari, can be seen outside the
temple premises.
Other
Names:
Needur was called as Magizha
Vanam, Vagularanyam, Sapthapuri and
Magizharanyam in ancient times.
People
worshipped Lord Shiva here:
It is believed that Bhadra Kali, Thanmasudhan, Suryan,
Chandran and Munaiyaduvar had worshipped Lord Shiva here.