MASANIAMMAN TEMPLE AT VETTAIKARANPUDUR
Near Pollachi there is a place by name Vettaikaran puduR. on the outskirts of this village is a temple dedicated to "Masaniamman".Pollachi is situated in the coimbatore Dt of Tamilnadu
This is supposed to be a powerful Goddess by all the surrounding villagers.When ever some one of the villagers felt cheated or did not get justice the villager so affected used to used to do the following:one day before they visit the temple on the previous evening they will nnounce in the village that they are going to “Masaniamman” temple the next day and ask her for justice. The justice asked for should be for a matter of serious nature and not for frivolous things. The next day early morning the villager usually the lady will come to the temple and near the temple there ws a stream which was alwsys running. This is due t the fact that the return flows of the land which get water all the year round and the surplus let into this stream. They will take bath with nearly 100 gm of dry red chilly tied to the pallu of their saree. They will not dry their bodies or change the wetr saree. They will go to the temple and circumbulate the temple outer periphery 3 times. Then they will go to the pestle and mortar (Oralu kalllu and oralu) push the wet dry chilly which was tied into their palluand grind into a fine paste shouting all along the injustice meted to them . after the chilly has been ground to a fine pasted the pestle is removed and smeared with the paste. Even during this operation the name of the person who meted out the injustice will be shoute3d. this is left over the mortar and without entering the inside sanctorum the person will leave the premises. It is said in almost all the cases the injustice dne t them will be rectified shortly by the perpetrator. May be due to fear complex. It is also to be noted that the person who feels that injustice is meted should really have been affected and if the person does this ritual to settle scores the person who does this ritual will be affected!!. After the good results have been achieved the person will come to the temple with some fruits and flower and also some money and now ftower bath in the stream get dressed in dried clothes and enter the temple and offer the fruit, flower and money to the deity.
once in a year a huge pit used to be dug and illed with burning embers and the width of the pit was about 4 feet and legnth about 30 feet. The priest will stay for a minimum of 30 days prior to the day of this ritual in the tempe premises and will only take vegetarian food during the day time and only fruit and milk in the night.
On the day of the ritual the priest will not take any food from the morning till nght fall. At the night fall the priest will take ritualist batrh and walk over the embers. Thse who have prayed for some boons wll qlso follw the priest. After the walk throught the mbers the priest wil perform special pooja to the deity.
The “masaniamman” was nothing but a female figure in a sleeping posture on its back made of mortar and colored with gaudy paints with eyes wide open. This sleeping figure was nearly 18 feet long. There was a representative figure in bronze about a foot high kept near the foot of the main figure.
Around late seventies it appears one Mr Iyer appeared at Vettaikaran pudur. He said that he had the vision of the “Masaniamman in his dream and so he has come to renovate the temple. He got one new mortar replica of the “masaniamman” madw t using the services of the artists form “Chettinadu”9The artisans are famous carvers of wooden and metal scuptres residing in the southeren dts of Tamlnadu). He got the entire inner sanctorum painted with oil colours. He got the walls painted with Ramayana (God only knows from where he got the idea) wherein Lord Rama along with Lakshmana praying to goddess “Masaniamman” for their success in the war with Ravana!!
He also got his statue made out of Plaster of Paris and installed it on the right sde of the entry to the temple. There were many paintings got done and inevry painting the figure of Mr Iyer was prominently shown. This type of publiscity got lots of new adherents to the temple and he collected the money ad gave good wage to the e tmple menials and also t the priest. Every one was happy as initially the expenditure for all the improvement was borne by the funda given by Mr Iyer... when the funds started pouring and when Mr Iyer became conspicuously rich and purchased some wet lands in the surrounding vettaikaran pudur area. The local “ vellala gounders “ who were basically rich and powerful and who did not take interest in the temple earlier started taking interest in the temple affairs. They made all the charges against Mr Iyer who could not defend himself against the numerical strength of the gounders. Also there were not many Brahmins who could defend him. So unceremoniously Mr Iyer was shown the door. The first thing the “Gounders did was to break the statue of Mr Iyer erected near the door on the left side of the templ e. Then came the tarring of all the paintings wherein Mr Iyer was shown prominently. Later on Mr Iyer left Vettaikaran pudur dejected with his family. Nobody cme forward even to purchase his land and he had to sell them at throwaway prices.
May be Mr Iyer has found some new temple to renovate.
This is supposed to be a powerful Goddess by all the surrounding villagers.When ever some one of the villagers felt cheated or did not get justice the villager so affected used to used to do the following:one day before they visit the temple on the previous evening they will nnounce in the village that they are going to “Masaniamman” temple the next day and ask her for justice. The justice asked for should be for a matter of serious nature and not for frivolous things. The next day early morning the villager usually the lady will come to the temple and near the temple there ws a stream which was alwsys running. This is due t the fact that the return flows of the land which get water all the year round and the surplus let into this stream. They will take bath with nearly 100 gm of dry red chilly tied to the pallu of their saree. They will not dry their bodies or change the wetr saree. They will go to the temple and circumbulate the temple outer periphery 3 times. Then they will go to the pestle and mortar (Oralu kalllu and oralu) push the wet dry chilly which was tied into their palluand grind into a fine paste shouting all along the injustice meted to them . after the chilly has been ground to a fine pasted the pestle is removed and smeared with the paste. Even during this operation the name of the person who meted out the injustice will be shoute3d. this is left over the mortar and without entering the inside sanctorum the person will leave the premises. It is said in almost all the cases the injustice dne t them will be rectified shortly by the perpetrator. May be due to fear complex. It is also to be noted that the person who feels that injustice is meted should really have been affected and if the person does this ritual to settle scores the person who does this ritual will be affected!!. After the good results have been achieved the person will come to the temple with some fruits and flower and also some money and now ftower bath in the stream get dressed in dried clothes and enter the temple and offer the fruit, flower and money to the deity.
once in a year a huge pit used to be dug and illed with burning embers and the width of the pit was about 4 feet and legnth about 30 feet. The priest will stay for a minimum of 30 days prior to the day of this ritual in the tempe premises and will only take vegetarian food during the day time and only fruit and milk in the night.
On the day of the ritual the priest will not take any food from the morning till nght fall. At the night fall the priest will take ritualist batrh and walk over the embers. Thse who have prayed for some boons wll qlso follw the priest. After the walk throught the mbers the priest wil perform special pooja to the deity.
The “masaniamman” was nothing but a female figure in a sleeping posture on its back made of mortar and colored with gaudy paints with eyes wide open. This sleeping figure was nearly 18 feet long. There was a representative figure in bronze about a foot high kept near the foot of the main figure.
Around late seventies it appears one Mr Iyer appeared at Vettaikaran pudur. He said that he had the vision of the “Masaniamman in his dream and so he has come to renovate the temple. He got one new mortar replica of the “masaniamman” madw t using the services of the artists form “Chettinadu”9The artisans are famous carvers of wooden and metal scuptres residing in the southeren dts of Tamlnadu). He got the entire inner sanctorum painted with oil colours. He got the walls painted with Ramayana (God only knows from where he got the idea) wherein Lord Rama along with Lakshmana praying to goddess “Masaniamman” for their success in the war with Ravana!!
He also got his statue made out of Plaster of Paris and installed it on the right sde of the entry to the temple. There were many paintings got done and inevry painting the figure of Mr Iyer was prominently shown. This type of publiscity got lots of new adherents to the temple and he collected the money ad gave good wage to the e tmple menials and also t the priest. Every one was happy as initially the expenditure for all the improvement was borne by the funda given by Mr Iyer... when the funds started pouring and when Mr Iyer became conspicuously rich and purchased some wet lands in the surrounding vettaikaran pudur area. The local “ vellala gounders “ who were basically rich and powerful and who did not take interest in the temple earlier started taking interest in the temple affairs. They made all the charges against Mr Iyer who could not defend himself against the numerical strength of the gounders. Also there were not many Brahmins who could defend him. So unceremoniously Mr Iyer was shown the door. The first thing the “Gounders did was to break the statue of Mr Iyer erected near the door on the left side of the templ e. Then came the tarring of all the paintings wherein Mr Iyer was shown prominently. Later on Mr Iyer left Vettaikaran pudur dejected with his family. Nobody cme forward even to purchase his land and he had to sell them at throwaway prices.
May be Mr Iyer has found some new temple to renovate.
posted by N.S.Char at 6:47 AM
1 Comments:
I came in strong belief to this temple..but still the girl who cheated me and the family who ruined us have not been punished.. they commit more mistake ...
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