Ranganathaswamy Temple, Karamadai – Legends
Swayambhu Vishnu:
Once, this region was a forest
abound in Karai trees inhabited by Thottiyar tribe. The tribe main profession
was herding cattle. One day, one of the herdsman found his cow was not giving
him any milk instead it emptied all its milk in an anthill. Astonished herdsman
excavated the anthill with a shovel. His shovel hit an object and found blood
oozing out from the object. He informed the villagers and they found the
Swayambhu idol with conch and chakra marks on it. The tribe sought the advice
of a priest named Vedavyasa Bhattar.
He advised them to erect a temple
around the anthill. The tribe built a temple as advised. People were unsure of
whether the deity was Lord Shiva or Lord Vishnu, but Lord Vishnu
appeared in the dreams of Pitchu Mandarayar, one of the inhabitants. This
perhaps the
only temple where the Lord was originally revealed in the Lingam
form and later identified as Vishnu. The image is said to be growing in
size every year.
British General gifted a festive image of horse to the
temple:
As per legend, a British general
planned to build a railway line bisecting the
temple. The villagers prayed to Lord Vishnu for his divine
intervention. It is believed that Lord Ranganatha appeared in the dreams of the
British engineer on a white horse and instructed him to change the direction of
the railway line. The British general withdrew his plans to demolish the
temple. Further, he also gifted a festive image of a horse to be
used during divine procession.
Garuda Theertham:
Garuda, the eagle vehicle of
Lord Vishnu, desired to see his wedding with Mother Mahalakshmi and expressed
his desire to the Lord. The Lord graced the wedding dharshan on earth to Garuda
in this place. Further, Garuda excavated a Theertham called Garuda Theertham in
this
place.
Thirumalai Nayakan got relief from his serious
illness:
Thirumalai Nayakan, one of the
famous kings of Madurai Nayak Dynasty, was cured of a serious illness after
praying to Lord Vishnu here. In gratitude, he built this
temple for Lord Vishnu.
Ramanuja’s visit to this temple:
It is believed that Ramanuja is
said to have visited this
temple on his way from Srirangam
to Thiru Narayanapuram (Melkote).
Brahma Theertham:
It is believed that Lord Brahma
created a Theertham behind the main deity and named it as Brahma Theertham.
People worshipped Lord Vishnu here:
It is believed that Saint Vasavan, Varuna, Brahma, Kubera and Garuda worshipped Lord Vishnu here.