Shiva Temples of Tamilnadu

Sthala Puranam

The Legend of Chandeswarar Nayanar

Tiru-Aappadi is inextricably linked with the life and legend of Chandeswarar Nayanar, one of the 63 revered Shaivite saints of Tamil Nadu. In the sacred village of Seyngyalur near Aappadi, a young boy named Visarasarmar was born to the pious couple Yechaththan and Pavithrai. From a tender age he immersed himself in the Vedha Agamas and the sacred arts. One day, moved by compassion after witnessing a herdsman strike a cow, he took upon himself the task of tending the cows. Under his loving care the cattle flourished, yielding an abundance of milk. Inspired, Visarasarmar crafted a Shiva Linga from the silken sands by the banks of the river Manni, beneath the canopy of an Aththi tree, and reverently anointed it with the cows’ milk.

A misguided onlooker reported this to the cow owners as wasteful, and they summoned Visarasarmar’s father Yechaththan. The following day, Yechaththan followed his son unseen and, upon witnessing the act, raised his staff and struck him. Visarasarmar, his mind wholly absorbed in Shiva puja, felt nothing. Enraged further, Yechaththan kicked the Shiva Linga — a grave Shiva aparatham. Recognising the transgression even in his own father, Visarasarmar cast the staff before him; it miraculously transformed into an axe and severed Yechaththan’s leg. Undeterred, Visarasarmar completed his puja with single-minded focus. Moved by this supreme devotion, Lord Shiva manifested before him, embraced him, declared himself his father, and bestowed upon him the exalted title of Chandesa. Shiva removed the garland from his own braided locks and placed it on Visarasarmar, who thereafter became known as Chandesa Nayanar. The name Aappaadi itself derives from the Tamil word ‘Aa’, meaning cow, a lasting tribute to the pastoral origins of this legend.

The Shepherd Legend

A second legend is also associated with this site. A shepherd from Aappadi, carrying a jug of freshly drawn milk home, repeatedly stumbled at a particular spot on his path, spilling the milk. Overcome with anger, he struck the ground with his sickle. Blood flowed from the wounded earth, and at that moment the Lord manifested in the form of a Shiva Linga, his divine form bearing the mark of the shepherd’s strike. Stricken with remorse, the shepherd prostrated himself before the deity. Moved by his repentance, Lord Shiva bestowed his grace, cementing the sanctity of that spot for all time.