Friday, April 20, 2018

Eka Pushpa Priya Nathar Swamy Temple, Thiruthiyamalai – Legends

Eka Pushpa Priya Nathar Swamy Temple, Thiruthiyamalai – Legends
The temple has a highly sacred and rare legend history behind it: On a Maha Sivarathiri day, Naradhar revealed a secret to all the rishis at the deva Loha. He said there is a flower called “Argyadeva Valli” that appears only once on a particular day at a particular time and worshipping Shiva with this flower will get immediate salvation to crores of lives. It is equivalent to worshipping with all the flowers in the whole world. All the rishis selected Brighu maharishi as the fittest person to carry out this task. Brighu maharishi got just one clue from Naradhar that this flower will bloom on earth.
After penancing at various places, Brighu maharishi came to Thirukkalambur Vaidhyanatha Swamy temple near Singampunari. A plantain thread from the sacred plantain tree of this temple showed way to Brighu maharishi through Piranmalai, Kolakkudi, Kanjathu Malai, Thirumalai, Kunrakudi, Nedungudi and finally disappeared at Thiruthiyamalai. At that time, to his surprise, Agasthiar was undergoing ‘one crore Girivalam’ around the hill along with his wife Lobamatha.
Brighu maharishi got some details of the flower through some secret phrases from Sage Agasthiar and from it, Brighu maharishi realized that only people who got the Dharshan of 10 lakh Vilva trees will get the chance to see the flower. So, he went to Kailayam and penanced for several thousand years to prepare himself for the darshan. After that he came back to Thiruthiyamalai and to his surprise, he met Agasthiar again there and received some more secrets from him. At that time, he saw a huge tree in the middle of the hill with more than 1008 ‘Thookkanakuruvi Koodu’ (Bird Nests).
Though he had done Girivalam so many times before, he never saw that tree before. Thookkanakuruvi Koodu is considered as a good Vasthu symbol and due to the 1008 of them here, this place is considered as a highly powerful Vasthu power Sthalam. From the language of so many birds, he understood that the flower is going to bloom on the next Maha Shivarathri day and so waited in penance at the foot hill. On that eventful Maha Shivarathri day, the Argyadevavalli flower finally bloomed and all the thousands of birds flew in abundant happiness chanting ‘Om Namasivaya’.
Brighu maharishi was slightly upset that he could not see the flower but the birds have already seen it. Agasthiar appeared again with his wife and took Brighu maharishi for the first time to the hilltop (all the time, he was at the foot hill only) and disappeared there. Brighu maharishi finally got the glimpse of the flower as a reflection in the ‘Kodi Pushpa Aadhi Mahamaha Theertham (Sunai)’ and then raised his head and got the direct darshan of the flower.