|
A temple came back
to life
 In
the Union Territory of Pondicherry, 2 km to the west of its
seashore, lies the Arulmighu Vedapureeswarar Temple. Situated
centrally, it is easily accessible to the devotees.
The name of the main
deity in this temple is Lord Vedapureeswarar. The Ambal's name is
Thirupurasundari. 'Vanni tree' is the temple's sacred tree. It is said in olden days, this place was known as Vedapuri.
This temple, which was
famous and popular nearly 238 years ago, was demolished during a a clash
in 1748 (Aavani-28) and then was rebuilt in 1788 due to the sincere and arduous efforts of
Diwan Kandappa Mudaliyar and with the public co-operation. The 75 feet
raja gopuram
stands majestically at the entrance of the temple.
The speciality and
distinctive feature of this temple is that the main deity is a 'Swayambu'
and this is the place where Ramalinga Swamigal sang in praise of Lord
Muruga.
 It
is also said the main deity was brought from Samba Eswaran
(Machine Street) temple 100 years ago. To the south of this temple's
sanctum sanctorum lies a separate temple for Lord Dakshinamurthy.
On the day of Ashtami,
a special pooja is done for Lord Bhairava and he is worshipped with
vibhudhi (sacred ash) alankaram. It is believed that if one worships
Him, he will be blessed with profitable business, wealth and protection
from one's enemies.
Apart from this,
abishekam is done for the Arupathu Moovar deities according to their
'stars' and they are brought outside on that particular day. It is the general belief that if the devotees perform an archanai in this temple
on their birthday, their wishes will be fulfilled.
Devotees
waiting to get married or for want of a progeny visit this holy place and their wishes are fulfilled. During the month of
Vaikasi, Brahmotsavam is performed for 18 days in this temple. Devotees throng
in large numbers here to witness the Brahmotsavam and seek the Lord's
blessings on the occasion. Even 'Pradosham' days are considered special
here.
|
