Kampaheswarar Temple,
Thirubuvanam – Legends
Kampaheswarar:
Pandyan King, Varaguna, who,
according to tradition, lived in the seventh century A.D. Once he went for
hunting in a nearby forest and when he started back home, dusk had already
fallen. The horse, fatigued by the hunt, was anxious to get back to the stables,
and literally flew over the path. Meanwhile an aged Brahmin, also travelling
through the forest, had called it a day and was lying fast asleep under the
shelter of a large tree. Unfortunately,
the path which the King’s horse took was led over the very place where the old
man lay sleeping. The hooves of the horse crushed his chest, and he perished on
the spot. So fast was horse that the King had no inkling of this terrible
calamity.
Only when the soldiers following
him saw the dead Brahmin and informed him, did the King come to know of the
tragedy. He lost no time in observing the penances and sacrifices ordained in
the shastras for absolution from this sin; but the damage was done Brahmmahathi
(spirit of the dead Brahmana) clung to him all the more tightly. In despair,
the King sought the help of Lord Sundareswarar of Madurai. One day, when he was
circumambulating the shrine, a divine voice stated him that a Chola King will
invade your Kingdom soon. Fight him and he will be defeated.
As he flees back to his country,
chase him without harming him. He will lead you to Thiruvidaimarudur
where Lord Shiva himself worshipped his own image. The Sin clinging to you now
will leave you by praying to Lord Shiva there. The King then visited the
temple at Thiruvidaimarudur as per the divine guidance and prayed to
Lord Mahalingeswarar. He entered the temple through the Eastern entrance
and the Brahmmahathi could not enter the
temple and waited outside the
temple for the King to return.
As advised by Mahalingaswamy,
the King left by the Western Gopuram (Tower) and hence got rid of the Brahmmahathi
dosham and the Brahmin’s ghost. The Brahmmahathi is waiting outside still
in the south ornamental entrance (south Torana Vayil) with head disheveled and
face immersed betwixt the knees. The king was relieved of his malady. Yet,
he was trembling with the fear of the spirit catching him again. Lord
Kampaheswarar saved the king from trembling (Nadukkam or Kampa). Hence,
He is praised as Nadukkam Theertha Nayakan or Kampaheswarar.
Nadukkam Theertha Nayagan:
Tarakaksha, Vidyunmali and
Kamalaksha were the sons of the demon Tarakasura. Tarakasura was killed by Lord
Muruga and he instructed his family to avenge his death. As per the advice of
Sukracharya, guru of Asuras, three Asura
brothers started to perform severe penance. They performed penance for hundred
years by standing only on one leg. They continued their penance for another
thousand years without taking food and living only on air. Further, they stood
on their heads and meditated in this posture for another thousand years.
Lord Brahma was pleased by their
penance and granted them a boon. They requested for immortality. Brahma refused
and told them nothing can be immortal. Then Tarakaksha, Vidyunmali and
Kamalaksha asked to be blessed with
three impregnable fortresses. The first will be of gold, the second of
silver and the third of iron. We will live in these forts for a thousand years.
These forts built in different worlds shall align once in every 1000 years.
This combined fort will be called Tripura. And if anyone can then destroy
Tripura with only a single arrow that shall be the death destined for us.
Lord Brahma granted this
unusual. There was a Danava named Maya who was very good at building work.
Brahma asked him to build the forts. The golden fort was built in heaven, the
silver one in the sky and the iron one on earth. Tarakaksha got the golden
fort, Kamalaksha the silver one and Vidyunmali the iron one. Each of the forts
was a big as a city and had many palaces and vimanas (space vehicles) inside. The
demons populated the three forts and began to flourish. The demigods did not
like this at all. They first went to Brahma, but Brahma said he could not help
them.
After all, the demons had got
Tripura thanks to his boon. The gods then went to Shiva for
help. But Shiva said that the demons were doing nothing wrong. The asuras felt
invincible and started tormenting the Devas. Devas under the leadership of
Indra approached Lord Brahma for respite, Lord Brahma directed them to approach
Lord Shiva and also informed them of the vulnerability of Tripura to a single
arrow. Nandi, the leader of Lord Shiva's Ganas, slayed Vidyunmali and other
Asuras, but the magical pool of Tripura would revive the dead asuras, and the
Devas were frustrated.
As the furious war continued
between the Asuras and the Devas, even the Earth began to slip from its place.
Just as Brahma and Shiva were worrying about the Earth's descent, the Protector
god Vishnu, in the form of a massive boar, lifted the earth and restored it to
its original place. He then entered Tripura and drank dry, the pool of magic
water that rejuvenated the dead Asuras. Lord Shiva made a special chariot with
the earth whose wheels were constituted by the sun and the moon and driven by
Brahma as the charioteer using the four Vedas as horses. Lord Shiva also made a
special bow with Mount Meru with its arc formed by Adisesha, and Vishnu would
function as the arrow.
Offended, Ganesha caused the
axle of Lord Shiva's chariot to break and get stuck, stranding Shiva. The mighty
god realized the error of his ways and immediately prayed to Ganesha, who then
removed all obstacles from his path. Just as the cities aligned, Lord Shiva was
about to fire the arrow, the Devas were overjoyed that Tripura was going to be
destroyed because of them. Lord Shiva, knowing what the Devas were thinking,
did not fire the arrow and just smiled. All the three purams were burned
immediately.
As his laugh, saved the Devas
and mortals from trembling (Nadukkam) caused by the acts of demons. He came to
be called as Nadukkam Theertham Nayagan. Shocked at this act, Brahma pleaded
that Devas thoughts were faulty, and that Shiva should forgive and release the
arrow, or else the Devas would have a permanent bad name and the reason behind
making this chariot would become meaningless. Lord Shiva then fired the arrow
on the already burning cities.
Sarabeswarar:
Lord Sarabesa has in him the
collective powers of 1) Lord Shiva, 2) Lord Vishnu, 3) Mother Pratyangira Devi
and 4) Mother Durga (Soolini Durga). The blood of demon Hiranya stayed his
body during the Narasimha Avatar which made him very furious. To cool him
down, the Devas approached Lord Shiva. They were afraid of the birth
million wicked souls if that demon blood fell on earth.
As the blood was in the body of
Mahavishnu with nectar in him, these wicked souls, if born would become
indestructible. Lord Shiva alone could offer a solution. Lord Shiva took a
very strange form with Yazhi face, human body, eight legs, four hands and two
wings. One wing was Mother Pratyangira Devi while the other was Mother
Durga Soolini. He chased Narasimha into sky and space to a point where
gravitation will not work.
He pressed Narasimha with his
nails to bring out the impure demon blood and get it evaporated there. Sooner
the demon blood left his body, Lord Narasimha became soft and smiling and
worshipped Lord Shiva. Thus, worshipping Lord Sarabeswarar brings the
devotee the benefit of worshipping all four Gods.
People worshipped Lord Shiva here:
Lord Vishnu, Prahalada, Lord Brahma, Agni, Mandhadha, Varaguna Pandian, Moon and Sun had worshipped Lord in this temple.
