About the origin of the temple
The origin of this temple is ascribed to Jnana Varodaya a native of
Vayalur (வயலூர்), six miles to the west of Tiruchirappalli. When he was a
little boy, he played the truant one-day to escape being flogged at school
and hid himself behind the idol of Subrahmanya in the temple at Vayalur.
There be remained shut up for the night unseen by the temple servants, when
the God Subrahmanya appeared to him and blessed him with the gift of poesy.
Next morning his parents discovered him in the temple and were delighted
at his newly acquired talents. Sometime afterwards, the God told the boy in
a vision of his wish to have a temple built of him on the top of the hill at
Viralimalai. Jnana Varodaya communicated the God's commands to the chief
Azhagiya-manavaalan (அழகிய-மணவாளன்) of Perambur (பேராம்பூர்).
Azhagiya also had a vision of the God, who appeared before him in answer
to a hymn of the boy, but the vision was so dazzling that the chief lost his
eyesight for a while. The chief built the temple, which was later extended
by the Kumaravadi (குமாரவாடி) and Marungapuri (மருங்காபுரி) chiefs.
Laudatory songs are still sung in praise of the Perambur chiefs during one
of the temple festivals.
About the peculiar neyvedhya of country cigar
Karuppa-muthu Pillai (கருப்பமுத்துப் பிள்ளை), a minister of one of the
Kumaravadi chiefs, was in the habit of visiting the temple every Friday, but
on one occasion, a tank had burst after heavy rains and the Mamundi (மாமுண்டி)
stream had become unaffordable so that Karuppa-muthu who was stranded on the
bank was face with the prospect of having to spend a night without food and,
what was most grievous to him, without cigars. The God, however, appeared
before him in human form gave him a cigar and led him to the temple.
The grateful devotee ordered that henceforth cigars should be offered to
the God everyday. The God was pleased with this native but sincere act of
devotion, and accepted the unusual offering. One of the Tondaiman (தொண்டைமான்)
rulers stopped this offering, as being inappropriate in a temple of
Subrahmanya. But, the story goes, the God appeared to him in a dream with an
emaciated body, and instructed him to restore the offering, which the Raja
did. This offering is still continued.
The deity presiding over this temple is offered by way of neyvedhya every
evening at the day's last puja, the most curious of objects: a country cigar suruttu kalanji
(சுருட்டுக் களஞ்சி).
|
