Famous Temples in India

Religious Significance

Narada's Prayer to Brahma : Once, Sage Narada prayed to Brahma to enlighten him on the history and greatness of the holy Markandeya Kshetra. On hearing this, Brahma gladly started narrating the greatness of Thiruvinnagar and its presiding deity, whose glory cannot be described even by Adisesha with his 1000 tongues.

Tulasi's Prayer to God : Once, Tulasidevi who was born along with nectar (amrita), while churning the milky-ocean, begged Lord Vishnu that she also be adorned by him on his chest like Mahalakshmi.

Lord’s boon to Tulasi : Hearing her request, Lord Vishnu said to Tulasi that Lakshmi did very severe penance to gain a place on his chest. Lord further said that Lakshmi would appear as Bhumidevi at a holy place near Kumbakonam, to the south of Cauvery and would be brought up by sage Markandeya as his daughter. Tulasi should go there earlier and be in the form of lovely Tulasi plant at the sage's hermitage. Then, Lakshmi would appear under the Tulasi plant as Bhumidevi. Later on, Lord Vishnu would come and marry Bhumidevi and live there forever. Glory of Tulasi will become known to all after this incident. The Lord further said that those who worship him with petals of Tulasi shall attain all prosperity in the world and also the benefit of performing Ashvamedha Yaga. All those who reside in this holy place will attain Sri Vaikunda at the end of their lives. From then onwards, Tulasi lived in this holy place, which therefore came to be known as Tulasi Vana (Tulasi forest). Tulasi appeared in the place where the temple is located. This is mentioned in the 53rd verse of Nammazhvar in Thiruviruththam.

Markandeya’s Penance : Sage Mrikandu’s son Markandeya, after touring many holy places and bathing in sacred waters, finally reached this holy place. He decided to stay here permanently due to its beautiful surroundings. Wishing to get a daughter who would be given in marriage to the Lord himself, he started doing severe penance to achieve his objective.

Vishnu's Instructions to Lakshmi : Lord Vishnu was pleased by his penance and resolved to bless him. He asked Lakshmi to appear as a small child in the Tulasi forest, to be brought up by sage Markandeya and given in marriage to the Lord. Goddess Lakshmi accordingly appeared as a small child in the Tulasi forest and was found by sage Markandeya. With immense pleasure he lifted the divine child Lakshmi from the ground, fondled her and asked about her parentage. For this the child replied that she did not know who her parents were and that Markandeya was everything to her. Thrilled beyond words, he named her as Bhumidevi, as she was found on earth.

Markandeya's Concern and Worry : The Sage brought her up lovingly and as she grew up, he was very much worried about her marriage. He was in frantic search for a suitable bridegroom. At this stage Lord Vishnu decided to play some mischief with the sage. So, he appeared before the sage, in the guise of an old Brahmin, clad in torn clothes and with a walking stick in hand, on the day of Panguni Shravanam at noon.

Markandeya welcoming the Old Man : Markandeya, without realizing that the old man who was coughing incessantly was Lord Vishnu himself, received him with due reverence and respectfully proceeded to serve him, attending to his needs like washing his feet and so on. The sage then reverentially asked the old man the purpose of his visit. The visitor then proceeded to state that he was on the look - out for a suitable bride, as he wished to marry and settle down in life and beget good sons. He therefore sought the hand of Bhumidevi in marriage to enable him to attain his objective.

Sage and Old Man – Discussion : On hearing the strange request of the old man (Vishnu), Markandeya was confused and did not know what to do. He then started explaining to the old man that Bhumidevi was very young and was too tender in age to run a family. Moreover, the age disparity between the old man and the young girl was too much. He requested the old man to drop his idea. The old man would hear none of it. He threatened to commit suicide if the young girl was not given in marriage to him. The sage Markandeya did not know what to do. He tried all methods to dissuade the old man from insisting upon marrying the young girl. The sage told the old man that his daughter was too young and did not even know how to cook properly. She might even forget to put salt in the eatables, which may result in the old man getting angry and cursing her. Finding the old man still stubborn and unrelenting, the sage silently prayed to Lord Vishnu for guidance.

Bhoomidevi's Views : The sage also sought his foster – daughter's views in the matter and asked her whether she was willing to marry the old man. She threatened to commit suicide, if she was forced to marry the old man, much against her wishes. Sage Markandeya was caught between the old man who threatened to commit suicide, if the girl was not given and the little girl if she was given in marriage to the old man. He fervently prayed to the Lord to show him a way out of the difficult situation.

Sage's Vision : After prayers to Lord Vishnu for a long time, the sage opened his eyes and there he found before him Lord Vishnu in all splendor and glory, in the place of the old man. Realizing that the Lord had played with him, the sage danced and cried in ecstasy. The Lord, blessing the sage Markandeya, said that he will marry Bhumidevi and will take only salt less offerings in this temple. Anyone who brings salt inside the temple will go to hell.