At
the foot of the fall is, as might be expected, a shrine dedicated to Agastis- wara, Rishi
Agastya to whom Siva gave darsan in the South while He was married to Parvati in Kailas.
Agastya is brought every year from his shrine to witness the marriage of the God and
Goddess of the local temple.
The following legend is told about the sacredness of the shrine. To the Hindu the great
attraction of the waterfall is its power (as illustrated by many stories) of washing away
human sins.
Among the best 'known of these tales is one which
relates how at one time there lived near this place a Pandya king. He was converted to
Buddhism and oppressed his people so severely that many fled the country. |
