| Temples & Legends Of
Tamlinadu |
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| Temples & Legends Of
India |
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KANCHEEPURAM |
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| Another version of
the story is that Siva and Parvati fell out in a game of dice. Siva cursed Gowri to become
ugly. With the help of Vishnu Parvati propitiated Siva by performing penance under a
single Mango tree at Kancheepurarn on the banks of the Kampa River, and regained her
beauty with dazzling eyes, from which the name of Kamakshi has been derived for the
tutelary goddess of the temple. As Parvati regained Siva under the mango tree the name of
Ekamranatha (Ekaone, amra - mango, and natha-Lord) was given to Lord Siva. It later became
Ekambareswara. Another legend connected with the marriage celebration is that connected
with Agastya being vouchsafed its darsan when he had come South from Kailas. The mango tree in the temple is worshipped by all even today with great
veneration. It has got four branches representing the four Vedas. Each branch bears fruit
with a different taste and the leaves are also different in appearance. It is a popular
belief that if a childless woman takes the fruit of the tree she is blessed with children.
In the prakaram round the mango tree is a lingam. Which is a composite of 108 small
lingams and another one of 1008 small lingams. There are idols of the 63 Nayanmars also.
There are two tanks in the temple, Kampa Nadi and Sivaganga. There is a Vishnu shrine in
the Siva temple and the name of the Vishnu is Nilatingal Tundattan. The temple has silver
and gold-plated vahanams of considerable value. |
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