In the banks of Maniyar, is a beautiful place called Thirucheiganallur. Skanda Purana says, that lord Muruga stayed here for a day and night and worshipped lord Shiva. 'Saei' in Tamil means child. The Name of the place literally means place of divine child, meaning Muruga.
Once there lived a Brahmin named Echcha Dhaththan and his wife Pavithrai. They were blessed with a divine child. He was named Vicharasharman. Upanayanam was done at the appropriate time and he began to learn Vedas.
He once saw a cowherd, hitting a cow with a stick. He felt very sorry for them and then he himself started to take the cows for grazing.
In the meadows, when the cows were gracing and relaxing, Vicharasharman used to make Shiva Linga with mud with so much care and did pooja and abhishegam using the cows milk.
Day after day the milk he used from the cow for abhishegam got increased as the number of lingams were increasing.
When his father knew about this, he came to the meadows and saw the truth. He became furious and kicked one of the lingam. Seeing this Vicharasharman became very angry and hit his father's leg with the cowherd's stick so strongly, that his father's leg broke.
Lord Shiva got very pleased with the devotion of the kid and so appeared then and there to bless Vicharasharman. When asked what boon he wanted, Vicharasharman answered that he wanted his father's leg to be healed and that he wanted to keep praying and meditating the Lord always.
The Lord immediately granted his wishes and also gave him the post of Chandikeswara, the one who keeps record of people coming.
He is seen in nearly every Shiva Temple on the northern side of Shiva. Devotees aren't supposed to take anything from Shiva Temple including the bhasma. Every Shiva Prasad is given to Chandikeswara. Since he is in meditation always, to keep our records and also to give the shiva Prasad to him, devotees clap their hands thrice gently. It's called thalathrayam.
Bhakthi can be shown anywhere and anyhow. It's only the sincerity of the mind that's more important. We also just learn the importance of love for all creatures from this mythological story.
Chandikeswaraya Namah!!
So we clap hands, symbolically saying that we aren't taking anything from the temple
ReplyDeleteWe wipe our hands and clap gently, to indicate that we aren't taking anything with us and also for him to have in his account that we have come to the temple to put in our prayers, so that he will keep reminding the Lord about it
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