Thanks
to my doctor-friend Dr Republica, who introduced me to Thennampakkam Muthiah Ayyanar Temple popularly
known as Azaghu Muthu Ayyanar Temple. (AZAGHAR MUTHAIAH AYYANAR TEMPLE- also
called as SUBBAIH SIDDHAR TEMPLE. We visited
this temple on 28 Dec 2022 (Wednesday) and thankfully it was not crowded.
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Few snippets taken from Internet about this temple:
· Thennampakkam is around 16 Kms from Cuddalore on
the Villianoor road. Alternatively, it could be reached from Puducherry (18
Kms).
·
Visiting the Shri
Poorna Pushkala sametha Shri Ayyanar (Muthayyanar/Muthiah Ayyanar). The temple
is open from 7 am to noon and from 6 to 9 pm. The contact telephone number is
094887 34873.
·
This temple is is believed to be in
existence for the past 400 years.
·
Stala Puranam: (Story behind the temple). The temple’s origin is linked to that of Shri
Azhagar Siddhar. The poorvasrama (the early part of his life) of this Mahan
were not known. There was a well and a banyan tree in the midst of a grove of
Vilva trees.
o He sat there and was meditating. For bath, he used to enter the well and
slept below the banyan tree. Though the
villagers requested him to come and stay in the village, he politely refused
and stayed only in the grove.
o He never used to talk and most of the time, was meditating.
o However, whenever the villagers approached him with their
problems-financial, health or social- he used to offer them the holy ash and
the villagers got relief from their problems.
o When the villagers brought food, he used to take out the same items from
a bag by his side! The villagers had also seen a number of snakes crawling over
his body when he was sleeping under the banyan tree.
o When he realised that his end was nearing, he had invited the villagers
to join him in a pooja on the first Monday in the Chithirai month (Apl).
o The entire party went with the accompanying Mangala Isai (Nadaswaram).
He asked them to stop before the well, entered the well and did not come out
for hours.
o Though some of the villagers claimed to have seen a light going out of
the place towards the sky, the other villagers did not believe it. Some of them
entered the well and could not find either the Siddhar or his body!
o They decided to close the well so that the waters of the holy well are
not mis-utilised.
o However all their efforts to cover it with a slab were in vain- either
they developed cracks or collapsed.
·
It is also believed that the Siddhar
came in the dream of a devotee and advised him to cover the well with a brass
lid and construct his samadhi nearby. Hence his adhistanam came above the well.
·
The entire area is covered except an
opening created above the brass lid so that sunlight falls on it. Still, the
wet Vibhuthi applied on the lid, remains wet. Local people believe that if
anyone attempts to close the ceiling, it would create problems for the village.
·
His arathana is being performed every
year to the accompaniment of at least 100 Nadaswara parties (100 Nadaswara+100
Thavil Vidwans)! I have not come across any such mass congregation of Nadaswara
troupes in any other place.
·
All the Mondays see a large number of
devotees who also prepare Pongal and offer it as Neyvedhyam. While the female
devotees can worship in the temple, they are not allowed inside the Samadhi
sthalam.
Another Story about the Muthaiyannar temple (Ayyanar). As readers
may be aware, Ayyappan is called Ayyanar in TN.
·
The sthala puranam of this temple is
slightly different from the regular Ayyappan legend we are familiar with.
Ayyappan was born as the son of Shiva and Vishnu, when the latter came as
Mohini.
·
They gave the child to a Rishi who
called Him Azhagar (handsome person).
·
He also taught Him all the skills.
Rishi also had two daughters, Poorna and Pushkala ( called as Porkodi Amman by
the locals).
·
At that time, there was a
practitioner of witchcraft who was harassing the local people. Rishi asked
Azhgar to fight with him. Azhagar fought with him and killed him.
·
Along with the local people, the
Rishi was also happy. He asked Azhagar about what he wanted from him (Rishi).
·
Azhgar wanted to marry both the girls
and wanted an elderly but strong bodyguard for Him. The Rishi invoked his
powers and asked Veerabhadrar to be the guard.
·
He also performed Azhagar’s marriage
with his daughters with a condition that at no point of time, He should
discriminate one against another.
·
One day Azhagar was talking to
Pushkala. Poorna who came that side, did not want to disturb them and she went
to a nearby place, spreading her wet hair for drying.
·
The rishi who saw her from a distance
thought that she was crying as Azhagar had ignored her. In anger, he cursed
Azhagar to be without a wife in the next birth.
·
Azhagar was re-born as Manikantan and
remained a bachelor at Sabarimalai. This is the first time we are hearing this
legend.
Unique Prayers
· Devotees write their prayers and wishes in a piece of paper and put it
on this spear. All reasonable requests are fulfilled.
· After their wish is completed, the devotees come back with a doll which
represents the devotee or his desire-could be a man, woman, child or an object.
· These dolls come in different shapes and sizes with various decorations.
We can see doctors, lawyers, priests (dolls) etc with their respective attires
and instruments!
· We can also see the images of objects like cars, houses etc. These dolls
are either available ready made or made to order in the shops in front of the
temple. The temple looks like a toy museum!
· There is also a lingam installed with a Nandi ( Sundareswarar).
Navagrahams are also installed.
· The samadhi of the Siddhar is behind the temple. There is only an idol
of Vinayakar by the side of the Samadhi. Veerabhadra is present on the right
side of Ayyanar.
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