Thirumayanam Brahmapureeswarar Temple, Thirukkadaiyur
– Legends
Pancha Mayana Kshetrams:
As per legend, Lord Shiva is believed to have burnt Lord
Brahma here and then converted him in to a holy water. As Lord Brahma was burnt
here, the
place came to be called as Mayanam
(Cremation ground). The process of creation came to a standstill
because of the death of Lord Brahma. All the deities came to this place, performed
intense penance and worshipped Lord Shiva. They all appealed to Lord Shiva to
reinstate Lord Brahma.
Pleased with their devotion, Lord Shiva revived Lord
Brahma and bestowed upon him the duty of creation. After the revival of Lord
Brahma, Lord Shiva taught him the Shiva Gnanam here. Hence, the place is also
called as Thiru
Meignanam. The place where Lord Shiva burnt
Lord Brahma and revived him back are called as Mayanams. It is said that Lord
Shiva destroyed and created Lord Brahma five times at five different places.
These incidents are said
to have happened at an interval of one Karbam. One Karbam consists of billions
of years. The five places where the above incident happened are collectively
called as Pancha Mayana Kshetrams. They are;
1. Kachi
Mayanam (Kanchipuram)
2. Kadavur
Mayanam (Thirukadaiyur)
4. Veezhi
Mayanam (Thiruveezhimizhalai)
5. Naalur
Mayanam (Thirunaalur)
Brahma Theertham:
As per legend, Sage Markandeya visited Thirukadaiyur and wanted to perform abhishekam to Amirtha
Kadeswarar with the waters from Ganga river. To realize his wish, he prayed to
Lord Shiva sincerely. Pleased with his prayers, Lord Shiva created Brahma
Theertham with Ganga water on the southern side of this
temple. The water from this well is exclusively used for the
abhishekam of Amirtha Kadeswarar from that time onwards.
It is said that no other
water is being used for abhishekam of Amirtha Kadeswarar. Also, water from this
well is not used for other deities. Once, a king named Bahuleya performed
abhishekam to Brahmapureeswarar with the water from this theertham. It
immediately caused a crack on top of the Lingam and can be seen still on the
Lingam.
It is believed that Ganga
river in the form of theertham was brought for Markandeya by Lord Shiva on
Ashwini star day in the Tamil month of Panguni (Mar-Apr). Hence, the theertham
is also called as Ashwini Theertham. To commemorate this event, procession
idols of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathy are taken to this theertham on this
day every year and a Theerthavari is celebrated in a grand fashion.
Singaraveli:
As per legend, a Chalukya King named Emakeridan was defeated by a king
in a battle and was driven out of his country. He was an ardent devotee of Lord
Shiva. He went on pilgrimage to several Shiva temples and sought the blessings
of Lord Shiva. Finally, he came here, prayed to Lord Singaravelan of this
temple and sought his help to get back his lost
kingdom.
Pleased with his prayers, Lord
Murugan in the guise of the King, led his army to the battle and defeated his
enemies. Lord Murugan informed about the outcome of the war and sent back the
king to take control of his country. In gratitude, Emakeridan donated huge
swathes of land to Singaravelan. The land donated by him in honour of
Singaravelan is called as Singaraveli.
Chola King got cured of leprosy
here:
Once, a Chola King was afflicted with leprosy. He came
here, worshipped Lord Shiva and got cured of his ailment.
A brahmin got relief from
Brahmmahathi dosham here:
Once, a brahmin named Somadeva
Sharma was afflicted with Brahmmahathi dosham. He was relieved of the
dosham by worshipping Lord Shiva here.
Shiva Sharma got relief from his
curse here:
Once, a brahmin named Shiva Sharma was cursed to
become a crow due to his misdeeds. The crow came here, worshipped Lord Shiva
and regained his human form. Later, he attained salvation here.
Pranava Vinayaga:
As per legend, when Shiva was teaching the meaning of
Pranava to Lord Brahma here, Lord Ganesha was also present listening to the
teachings of Lord Shiva like an obedient student. Hence, he came to be called
as Pranava Vinayaga.
Pampatti Siddhar:
It is believed that Pampatti Siddhar, one of the
renowned 18 Siddhars of Tamil tradition is said to have lived in this
place.
Other Names:
This
place was also called as Brahmapuri, Vilvaranyam,
Kadavur Mayanam, Brahmapuram, Shivavedapuri and Thirumeignanam.
People worshipped Lord Shiva here:
It is believed that Lord Brahma, Sage Markandeya,
Vinayaga, Pampatti Siddhar, Chalukya
King Emakeridan, Kulothunga Chola III, Somadeva Sharma, Shiva Sharma and other
deities had worshipped Lord Shiva here.