Lord Swetharanyeswarar - The One Who Is Also Aghoramurthy!




The 10th temple in the list of Paadal Petra Sthalam is the Swetharanyeswar temple situated in Thiruvenkadu in Mayiladuthrai district of Tamil Nadu. Lord Shiva is the main deity here, worshipped as Swetharanyeswarar and His consort is Devi Brahmavidyambigai. 

There are several interesting legends associated with this temple. There was a demon named Maruthavasuran who performed severe penance to gain the favour of Lord Brahma. Ultimately, he got the vision of the Lord and was blessed with immense strength. The demon began to trouble saints and the Devas who sought the help of Lord Shiva to vanquish him. Lord Shiva sent His trusted Nandi to fight and conquer the demon. However, Maruthavasuran slashed Nandi 9 times in his body with his weapon. Seeing His beloved Nandi injured so, Lord Shiva took on His ferocious form of Aghora and fought and killed the demon. It is said that the Nandi in the temple has 9 scars. The tree beneath which Aghoramurthy killed the demon is still in the premises of the temple. Also, this is the only temple which has a form of Aghoramurthy. 

This temple is also believed to be the place where the Navagraha Budha meditated and got his position among the nine planets bestowed by Lord Shiva. Many believe that Lord Shiva performed His first dance Ananda Tandava (the dance of happiness) at this place before He performed the same in Chidambaram and hence this place is also referred to as Adi Chidambaram (the first Chidambaram). While performing the dance here, the tears that flowed from Lord Shiva's eyes became the holy ponds surrounding this temple. Like Chidambaram, there is also a shrine for Lord Vishnu here. The deity of Lord Nataraja here is considered to be very beautiful. 

There is also a legend that once Lord Brahma lost all His knowledge about the universe. At a place near this temple, He meditated on Lord Shiva who took on the form of Dakshinamoorthy and imparted Brahma-gyan to Lord Brahma. Devi Parvathy is also believed to have taught Him Brahma - kala (the knowledge of Arts) and is hence referred to as Devi Brahmavidyambigai here. 

Special pooja called Aghorapooja is performed on the 3rd Sunday of Kartik month as it is believed that it is on this day that Lord Aghora fought and won over the demon Maruthavasuran.  It is considered highly auspicious to worship the Lord during this pooja. 

Taking a dip in the holy ponds of this temple is said to bless people with prosperity. People also pray here to get rid of the negative planetary effects and to be blessed with children. 

Om Namaha Shivaaya!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stories From The Bhagavatham - Narasimha Avatar (Part 1)

Image
In the previous chapters of Bhagavatham, we read about how the doorkeepers of Vaikuntha, the abode of Maha Vishnu, had been cursed to take three births as the enemies of the lord. One of their births was as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu, two Asuras who wreaked untold damage upon the earth and made life miserable for all the devotees of the Lord. Hiranyaksha was killed by Maha Vishnu in His form as Varaha. Angered by the killing of his brother, Hiranyakashipu issued a command to his followers. “My brother has been killed by Narayana. I must destroy him. Go to the earth and wherever you see people performing Tapas, Yajna and other spiritual activities, kill them. Narayana is said to be present at the places where people worship him. I do not want him to be worshipped! Destroy anyone who utters his name!” Eagerly following his orders, the asuras went on a rampage, destroying places of worship, obstructing spiritual activities and harming every one who proclaimed themselves to be a de...
Read more

Stories From The Bhagawatham - Prelude To An Avatar (Part 1)

Image
  While the Devas and Asuras were always rivals, once it so happened that the Devas lost all their strength and the Asuras began to conquer them. Worried about the future of the universe, the Devas approached Lord Brahma, the Creator to seek His help. Lord Brahma advised the Devas to seek Lord Narayana. The Devas, along with Lord Brahma approached Maha Vishnu and asked for His guidance. “I know what you need to win over the Asuras.” Maha Vishnu said. “First and foremost, you need to make peace with them. You need time to recover your strength and should avoid any fights. You need to obtain Amritha, the nectar of life which will grant immortality to you. To get this nectar, you need to churn the ocean using Mount Mandara as the churning staff and the serpent Vasuki as the rope. This churning will require powerful hands and you will need the assistance of the Asuras for the same.” Maha Vishnu also gave some advice to the Devas. “Whatever happens, agree with the Asuras for every...
Read more

Stories From The Bhagawatham - Gajendra Moksham

Image
  In a hill named Trikuta, there was a garden named Rituman which was a paradise in itself. One could find every kind of tree, flower, fruit and animal there. In this hill, lived an elephant with his herd. The elephant was the leader of the herd and is referred to by devotees as Gajendra, and this leela of Maha Vishnu is named as Gajendra Moksham. This story is very special. I grew up listening to this story and simply love it because for me, it stands as a validation that no cry or prayer goes unheard in the Universe. Once, feeling thirsty, Gajendra entered a lake with his herd. After drinking water, the herd bathed in the lake. Unaware to the elephants, a crocodile stealthily swam up to the herd and clutched the leg of Gajendra. The elephant trumpeted loudly in pain. But try as he might, he could not lift his leg from the jaws of the crocodile. Seeing their leader in trouble, the other elephants tried to help him, but all their efforts went in vain. The crocodile kept tryin...
Read more