Shiva Temples of Tamilnadu

Sthala Puranam

Goddess Umadevi, Indra, and the Sacred Crab

Nandaangkovil, known as Thirundudevankudi during the Thevara period, holds great significance for those born under Kataka Rasi (Cancer). According to the Sthala Purana, the temple was the site of a remarkable event involving Goddess Umadevi and the celestial god Indra. Umadevi once journeyed from Kailash to worship the deity here, assuming the form of a crab. She gathered lotus flowers that bloomed in the temple’s surrounding moat to offer in her devotions. Coincidentally, Indra arrived at the same time to pay homage to the presiding deity. Upon seeing a crab collecting the lotus blooms he had cultivated, Indra became enraged — unaware that it was Parvati in disguise. In his anger, he climbed atop the Shiva Linga and attempted to slay the crab with his knife. The first strike landed on the crab’s jaw, while the second fell upon the Linga’s forehead. Desiring to protect Umadevi in her crab form, Shiva created an opening at the apex of the Linga and merged the crab’s essence with his own divine being. Realising his grave error, Indra was filled with remorse and sought forgiveness — and so the temple came to bear the name Thirundu-devan-kudi, meaning the place where the deva Indra felt remorseful. A stone pillar within the temple bears a carving depicting a crab worshipping a Shiva Linga, forever commemorating this legendary event.

The Gandharva Cursed by Durvasa

A second legend is associated with this shrine. A Gandharva was cursed by the sage Durvasa for mocking him during his performance of Shiva puja. As penance, the Gandharva was transformed into a crab. Seeking redemption, he beseeched Durvasa for forgiveness. The sage instructed him to carry out Shiva puja using a lotus flower that bloomed in the temple moat. When Devendra, king of the gods, arrived simultaneously to offer worship and saw the crab using the lotus flowers he had planted, he flew into a rage and attempted to slay the creature. In a miraculous act of compassion, Lord Shiva created an aperture atop the Linga and allowed the Gandharva in crab form to seek sanctuary within. This act of divine grace not only spared the Gandharva’s life but also lifted Durvasa’s curse, granting him liberation and restoration to the celestial realms.

The Sacred Linga of Karkateshwarar

The Shiva Linga of the presiding deity Karkateshwarar bears the marks of these legends: its surface carries distinctive cut scars, and a mysterious opening can be observed at its apex. According to the Vasishta Mahatmiya, a remarkable phenomenon occurs when the Linga is anointed with precisely 21 jugs of milk from a KArAmpasu (a pure, fully black cow) during the auspicious confluence of Aadi Amavasya and Poora Nakshatra. It is said that if this ritual is performed at night, a crab miraculously emerges from within the Linga and appears atop the sacred stone. The esteemed scholar Dr. U.V. Saminatha Iyer further records that anointing the Linga with ten jugs of milk from a single-coloured cow will reveal an even more wondrous sight — a golden-coloured crab gracefully emerging at the pinnacle of the Shiva Linga.