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Let
us begin with Kumbheswarar Tirukkovil; for the city owes its life
and name to Lord Siva. The much hallowed Sivalingam is in the shape
of kumbha - pot, made of Earth mixed with Amrit by Brahma Himself on
the advice of Lord Siva. Just below this much exalted lingam, the
idol of Nataraja is installed. According to periapuranam of
Sekkizhar, with the approach the great Deluge - Mahapralaya, Lord
Brahma was terribly upset and totally paralaysed at the very thought
of total destruction to the universe. And if everything including
the seed were to be destroyed, how could the universe be recreated ?
How to protect the seed ? Who could save this ? Confounded with this
puzzling problem, he approached Lord Siva for solution. Lord Siva
then advised him to make a pot with earth and amrit and decorate it
with thread before keeling a coconut over the mango leaves and Kusa
grass p&ed on the pot; this sacred Kumbha filled with Amrit to
be kept hanging from a net, tied to a tree on the Meru Mountain. It
must be worshipped with bilwa leaves. Done this, recreation problem
would be solved. Though implemented the direction to the letter, it
was carried away by the great flood, and 'the mango leaves, coconut,
kusa grass etc., fell at different places. And they became sacred
thirthas later. When Brahma made an intensive search for procuring
it, He found the pot at the spot where the present Kumbheswarar
Tirukkovil stands.
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