Veera Anjaneyar Temple,
Pudupakkam – Legends
Lord
Anjaneya performed his Sandhya Vandanam here:
As per legend, Lakshmana, the brother of Lord Rama was
badly wounded by Indrajit, son of Ravana during the battle in Lanka. Lakshmana
was nearly killed and fell unconscious. To resurrect Lakshmana, Hanuman was
called upon to fetch Sanjeevini herb from the Mount Dronagiri (Gandhamardan /
Mahodaya) on the slopes of Himalayas. Upon reaching Mount Dronagiri, Hanuman
could not able to identify the Sanjeevini herb.
So, he lifted the whole mountain and started travelling
back to the battlefield. On his way back, Hanuman got down in Gajagiri
hills to perform his Sandhya Vandanam (evening prayers). Later, a
temple was built on top of the
hills in memory of this event. It is believed that Lord Hanuman performs
Girivalam around this
hill during night time on Pournami days here.
Vyasa Pradishta Hanuman Idols:
It is believed that the
Anjaneya idol in this temple was installed by Madhwa
Saint Vyasatirtha, the previous avatar of Saint Raghavendra Swamy. This
Idol is one of the 732 Vyasa Pradishta Hanuman idols in India. All of Anjaneya
Idols installed by him are identical in the fact that they are turning towards
north, with a lotus flower in one hand, and bell at the end of their tail.