 The history of Thiru ‘ Azhagi Amman’ Temple situated at
“Therkkil Kaavith Thandalam”, Aaththoor Paalaaru Bank , (Kaanchipuram) Uttirameroor Taluk, Chengalpat District, Tamil Nadu.
Once upon a time the monster ‘Magisha Asura ‘was killed by Mother ‘Atharvana Kaali’. But the monster was appearing again and again in innumerable numbers from the blood drops spilled over on the spot where he was killed. This annoyed the Mother Kaali . She therefore drank all the blood which was oozing out from the demon’s body. The monster weakened with no more blood to survive and he died. The location was called Chengalpattu , because the area turned red due to the blood spilled over on the soil from the monster’s body.
As the mother Kaali was too furious, she was known as Adharvana Kaali. She could not be pacified even by Trimoorthis and celestial lords. At this point of time Thiru Agaththiar the sage short in his form was meditating in the ‘Podhigai’ mountainous range. He came down at the instance of Lord Shiva with an assignment to even the tilt caused by the huge gathering in the Himalayas, on the eve of his marriage with the Mother Uma. He visualised through his power of foresight that Mother Kaali was all aggressive and could not be pacified by anyone including the Mummoorthis and Devas.
Then the sage Agasthiayar came to the banks of Paalaaru where it was all red. He sat over there and spread his saintly robes on the river bed and kept his jar containing the holy water and the staff on it. He beseeched the Mother to get seated on it. On being seated he drew a circle around her embellishing it with six petals of lotus flower. He prepared a copper plate inscribing the recitations known as Mantraas.
He converted his body itself as the square of sacrificial fire. He sat in a deep meditation and recited mantras to light the square of sacrificial fire ( VeLvik Kundam). The mantras recited by the sage brought down the anger of Mother. Gradually all her monstrous qualities disappeared. Thereafter her universal form came down to assume the small human like form. In her new form she was glowing with all the glitter as that of a gold subjected to repeated heat treatment. Her brightness excelled the brilliance of the Sun.
The statue in the sanctum sanctorum ( KaruvaRai) depicts Azhagi Amman in a very composed form. She is no other than Parasakthi. Mummoorthis and three Brahama Rishis along with Agasthiayar are on the two palms of Mother Azhagi Amman. She is surrounded by the images of Sun and Moon with a lustrous ring glowing behind her head. Her left leg is folded in a seating posture. Her right leg is placed on the lotus emerging from the tank known as Indira Theertham. The temple’s sacred tree is ‘Illuppai Maram’ -the Mowa.
When she was in her Universal form she looked ferocious having had to see the blood stains in her hands. Then Trimoorthis and the three Brahma Rishis came down to stand on her two palms. Along with them Agasthiayar also stood by her right toe, which brought down her anger completely. In her composed form she was looking so beautiful, which prompted the devotees to worship giving her the name ‘ Azhagi Amman’. The temple structure appear as that of the style of Pallava Kings who ruled Tamil Nadu from Kancheepuram as their Capital.
|
