Karaikal Ammaiyar Temple, Karaikal – Legends
Thumburu was a great master in playing
Veena. His daughter was Sumathi. She did not notice the arrival of
Sage Durvasa as she was in penance on Shiva. The sage, known for his
temperament, cursed Sumathi to be born in Earth. She was born in the name
of Punithavathi. Karaikal Ammaiyar or Punithavathi (meaning "the
revered mother from Karaikkal"), one of the three women amongst the 63 Nayanmars, is one of the greatest figures of early Tamil
literature. She was born at Karaikal, South
India, and probably lived during the 6th
century. She was a devotee of Shiva.
Karaikal is a maritime trading city in Chola Nadu. Karaikal Ammaiyar (also known as
Punithavathi) was born to Dhanathathanar and Darmavathi, from a merchant
community knows as Nattukottai Nagarathaar (also Known as Nattukottai Chettiar). She was
a Shiva devotee since her childhood. She was married to Parama Dutta
a trader. Punithavathi continued her Bhakti on Lord Shiva. One
day, her husband received from some persons who had come to him on business, a
present of two mangoes of a very superior kind, which he sent home to his wife.
Soon after-wards, a holy devotee arrived at the house as a mendicant guest.
She had nothing ready to offer him except some boiled
rice. She offered him boiled rice and as there was no other side dish, she gave
him one of the mangoes. At noon, her husband returned and took his meal with
the other mango. He was so pleased with the mango that he told his wife to give
him the second mango of the two that he gave to her, His wife was perplexed, as
she had already given the other mango to the mendicant. Immediately she offered
fervent prayers to God, who never deserts those who serve him. God heard her
prayers and straightaway a mango was found in her hands. She served it to her
husband.
As the mango was a divine gift, it was of wonderful
sweetness. Tasting it, her husband asked her how she got the mango. At first,
she hesitated, but at last revealed what had happened. Her husband did not
give much credence to her words and asked her to get another mango in the same
way. She went away and prayed to God and immediately she found another fruit,
still lovelier, in her hands. When she carried this to her husband he took it
in astonishment. But, behold! It forthwith vanished.
Utterly confounded by these wonderful happenings, he concluded
that his wife was a supernatural being whom he dared not touch with carnal
thoughts, and resolved to go away from her. Her husband did not reveal his
decision to anybody, but quietly equipped a ship in which he put in a great
part of his wealth, and then, on an auspicious day, worshipping the God of the
sea, with sailors and a skillful captain, set sail to another country, where he
accumulated a fortune, and after some time, came back to India to another city
in the Pandyan land.
There he married a merchant's daughter and lived in great
luxury. A daughter was born to him. To her, he gave the name of the wife with
whom he dared not live, but had great reverence. His friends in Karaikal,
who resolved to compel him to receive his first wife again, knew his return and
prosperity. Accordingly, they proceeded to the new residence of the merchant,
taking his saintly wife in a litter. When her husband heard that his first
wife was staying in a grove outside the town, he proceeded with his second wife
and daughter, to the place where his first wife was camping.
Reaching there, the husband at once prostrated with
profoundest reverence before her and said that he was her slave and that he was
happy and prosperous through her benediction. His first wife Punithavatiar
became confounded by the salutation and worship and took refuge among her
kinswomen, who all cried out, "why is this mad man worshipping his own
wife?" To this Paramadutta replied that his wife is not an ordinary
lady, but a supernatural being. So, he ceased to look upon her as his wife and
worshipped her as their tutelary deity and dedicated his daughter to her.
Punitavatiyar pondered over the matter and prayed within
herself to Lord Shiva to take away her beauty that she cherished up till now
for the sake of her husband and give her the form and features of one of the
demon-hosts ('Bhutaganas') who are attendants of Lord Shiva. That very
instant, by the grace of God her flesh dried up and she became a demoness, one
of Lord Shiva's hosts. Then the Gods rained flowers on her. Heavenly minstrels
sang her praises and her relatives, in fear and awe, paid her adoration and
departed. So, she had now become a demoness and her abode was the wild jungle
of Alangadu (forest of Banyan trees). Through inspiration from God, she sang
several sacred hymns, which are preserved to the present day.
Afterwards, she got an irresistible desire to see the
sacred hill of Kailas. With inconceivable speed she fled northwards till she
arrived at the foot of the mountain and realizing that it was not right to
climb the heavenly mountain with her feet, she threw herself down and measured
the distance with her head. Uma, the consort of Lord Shiva, beheld her thus
ascending and enquired her husband about the demoness. To this, Lord Shiva
replied that the mighty demon-form was the Mother, who obtained this form by
her prayers. When she drew near, Lord Shiva addressed her with the words of
love calling her by the name of Mother ("Ammaiyar"), which she
forever bears.
As soon as she heard the word, she fell at his feet
worshipping and ejaculating, "Father!" She worshipped Lord Shiva
to grant her a boon that she should no more be born on earth and if she did,
then she should be born as a devotee of the Lord who in any form, at any time,
will not forget The Lord and that when the Lord performs the sacred mystic
dance, she should stand beneath the Lord's feet and sing in his
praise. Lord Shiva granted her the boon and asked her to stay at Alangadu.
Then, the sacred Mother of Karaikal returned, measuring the distance still on
her head, to holy Alangadu where she beheld her God's sacred dance and sang her
renowned lyrics in his praise. The temple was built later in her birth place,
Karaikal. Karaikal Ammaiyar Temple was built by Malaiperumal Pillai in 1929.
