Bannari Amman Temple,
Sathyamangalam – Legends
As per local folklore, people had
witnessed the sight of tigers and cows quenching their thirst at the same spot
of the river in ancient times. The cowherds used to take their cows to the grazing
fields found here as the fields were rich with grasses. These cows were driven
back to the stables at dusk. The cowherds used to extract milk from the udder
of each cow and hand over the collected milk to the owners of the cows.
One particular cow did not allow
the cowherd to get milk, nor did it allow its calf to go near it. The cowherd
has his own doubts about that particular cow and he decided to have an eye on
it. He allowed the other cows to graze and pursued that particular cow
secretly. It went alone near a Vengai tree and stood beneath it. Milk began to
flow from its udder automatically. He was astonished to see this strangle sight
and told about it to the other cowherds.
The news spread like wildfire to
the villagers. Next day, the villagers assembled on the spot to witness the
wonder. They found the cow repeating the same behavior. Local villagers decided
to excavate the spot. They removed shrubs, and to their surprise, they found a
sand-hill and a Swayambhu Linga. Suddenly, one of the villager got into a
trance. He started to pass on the divine message to everybody.
As per his message, it was
understood that the deity safeguarded the traders from Tamil Nadu who
used to travel to Mysore in this route to sell their goods carried by cows on
their back. Further, the deity through him insisted the villagers to build a
temple for her and call her in the name of Bannari Mariamman. Thus, Bannari
became the permanent abode of the goddess. The above incident has been represented
by paintings on the temple wall.
