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For millenniums the Hindus have been extremely God loving, and all over the land temples were built by the rulers, or the scions of rulers, and no wonder the poet warns us not to dwell in a place where a temple is non-existent.

In the Thanjavur District studded with scores of temples the exists in Tirunallar near Karaikal, the former French territory, the ancient temple of Darbharanyeswara. This temple was visited by the Saint Tirugnana Sambandar in the 7th century A.D. who sang padigams (decadal verses) in praise of the Lord. Likewise, his contemporary Saint Tirnnavukkarasu and later, Saint Sundarar (9th century A.D.) had visited the temple and sung padigams extolling the Lord. Saint Arunagirinathar (15th century A.D.) had also visited it and sung hymns included in his monumental work Tiruppugazh.

It is unique glory of the Tirunallar temple that it possesses the Pacchai Padigam which occupies a pride of place in the history of the Hindu Saivite Tamil hymnal literature. This padigam extols the virtues of the Lord and begins with the opening line Bhogamartha Poon Mulayal a pecan to the consort of Lord Darbharanyeswara. And it is said to have stood and ordeal of fire and the event leading to it is of absorbing interest and is narrated below.

It took place in the 7th century A.D, in Madurai, the capital of the Pandya Kingdom, during the reign of the celebrated Koon Pandya, also called Ninraseernedumaran. It was the time when the Jains had spread their influence and far and wide, In the Pandya Kingdom. The king had become a convert to Jainism and actively promoted its growth in his kingdom. Long all but his queen Mangaiyarkarasi and his minister Kulacchirai Nayanar - both stunch Saivaits - had embraced Jainism, forsaking the old religion.This caused immense agony to the queen and the minister who were anxious to reclaim the king and the kingdom back to the traditional religion.

1. Pacchai - the ever gree; Padigam - decadal verse.

2. (Devi) with shapaly breasts adorned with jewels so pleasing to the Lord.

3. Histrians idendify Koon Pandya (the hunch-backed Pandya) with Arikesari Parankusa Maravarman.

To these two grief stricken individuals came the good tidings of the camping of boy saint Tirugnana Sambandar at Vedaranyam. Having heard of the miracles performed by the Saivait saint young Sambandar in the Thanjavur district, they sent an urgent invitation to him to visit Madurai and extricate the king and his subjects from the clutches of the Jains. It would appear that while the queen's messengers found a ready response in the boy saint it was not easy where his admirer and companion saint Appar was concerned. In the words of Sekkizhar and thus spoke Appar, the king of Divine speech. Thouat but a stripling. There is no end to the deceits and treacheries of the Jains. There is one further objection. The planets stand baleful. So you shold not agree to go. Unto which the high-souled Sambandar repiled . If what I think and praise constantly are the tinkling feer of our Lord, no harm will touch me. So saying the cheif of the Puhali town, Sambandar ever bound unto the rosy fragrant feet of God. Sang the PADIGAM begining with the Lord of Uma with bamboo like shapely shoulders. The saint then be took himself to Madurai.

The arrival of the Saivate Saint roused the suspicion of the Jains who resorted to the heinous act of setting fire to his holy dwelling. But by his yogic powers, Sambandar had the heat transferred to the king which burut his person inexorably Lo! the king was wriggling like a warm unable to stand the pain, which the scorching heat that had taken hold of his person produced. Then the youthful saint sang the padigam Mandiramavadu Neeru and sprinkled a few grains of the ash on the right side of the kings body. The Jains in their turn chanting the Aruga Mantra (Jain Mantra) stroked the left side of the King's person with peacock feathers, but it only aggravated the pain! Entreated by the king and his ministers, Sambandar applied a few more grains of the sacred ash on to his left side also. It was a wonder of wonders that the poor pandya monarch who a little while ago was the very picture of suffering, misery and distress was now smiling gaily and appeared wholly freed from the burning malady. Lo! the King was rid of his hump too. And at this moment, it may be said that the triumph of Saivism over Jainism was more than established in the Pandya capital and the unwanted religion just faded out ignominiously.

But the Jains were not as yet wiser by their abject defeat1. They arrogantly threw the challenge that both religionsts should write down their respective Mantras on a palm leaf and consign it to the flames and the one that survived the ordeal of the established its superiority over the other.

The King must have been impressed by the miraculous performance of Gnana Sambandars treatment just with a pinch of sacred ash and he might also have been possibly distreesed at the collapse of the religion to which he was a votary, namely Jainism. It was at this juncture that the Jains threw the aforesaid challenge as they were convinced that the king was in two minds in the approach to the two respective religions. The Saint also wanted to convince him of the superiority of Saivism over the other. And so, he accepted the challenge and the Jains first threw their Mantra into the fire which became forthwith a prey to the flames Sambandar them caused his Tirumurai to be brought there and pulled one leaf from the bundle and his leaf contained a verse of the forty ninth Padigam of Tevaram entitled Bhogamartha Poon Mulayal which was sung carlier by the saint in the Darbaranyeswara shrine at Tirunallar. He consigned it to the flames. But his palm bearing leaf was not scorched by the fire. It maintained its evergreen freshness! Unconsumed by the fierce flames of the fire it remained absolutely unscatched and this miracle established. The glory of saivism which to this day is as Green as it was before it was subjected to the fire ordeal! Hence the appellation Pacchai Padigam was being applied to it.

Bhogamartha Poon Mulayal is also called by the name ofPraneswari as she gave life (Prana) or rebirth to Saivism.

Since the principal deity Darbharanyeswara his consort Praneswari, Shaniswar and the several other gods and goddesses enshrined here have the power to offer benedictions to the devotees, hundreds of them visit this temple daily. There is the additional attraction of several sacred tanks which exist here and which are said to, possess healing powers literally as well as metaboically.

A beautiful Rajagopuram in five tiers resing to the sky and adorned with an abundance of terracotta sculpture as we approach the temple. As one enters and perambulates round the eircumambulatory path this shirne of Kalathinathar and Karpakavinayakar are seen which are readily worshipped. The images of the four great Shive Saint besides those of the 63 Nayanmars are represented at the turn of the southeren Prakara of the temple, and noteworthy feature here is the image of Nala house in a separate shrine at the end of the gallery of the 63 Nayanmars. On the westren path are seen three figures having uam stackable sage like appearance. And it is believed that one of them is, that of the Chola king Raja Raja, it is food for researchers as this image is so strikingly similar to the one found at the entrance of the Nritta Sabha in the Nataraja temple at Chidambaram. The other notable deities in this line are Swarna Vinayaka and Subramanya.

The image of Lord Shaniswara is seen in a graceful standing pose housed in niche on the left side of the Lords Sannithi. He is shedding benevolence as he is wearing the aspect of Anugrahamum and a Perennial stream of Bhaktas throng here to worship Him and obtain His grace throughout the year on important festival days.

According to legends, Shani is the son of the Sun [the Chief of the solar system] by Chhaya, the shadow of Samine his wife. He was ordered by his father to take his pace amongst the planets and engage himself in meeting out joys and sorrows to mortals in proportion to the merits and demerits earned by them in their past lives.

Shaniswara is very much sought after by countless millions of devotees on the day when the Planet Saturn [worshipped as Shaniswara] transits front one zoditical sign to another. This day is great occasion here and abhishekas, archhnas, pujas, aradhanas and naivedyas are offered to the Lord continuously the whoe day for mitigation of the scorching effeets his influence produces on those to pass through Shani Dasa in their lives.

There are several tanks here which are considered highly sanctified. They are respectively Brahma Tirtha, Vani Tirtha, Hamsa Tirtha, Agasthia Tirtha, Nala Tirtha, etc., The Sthala Vriksha here is the Darbha plant [Kusa grass].

The Lord Darbharanyeswara is offered pujas six times a day and Lord Shaniswara five times a day.

Shaniswara has also other names such as Mandam [dullard Pangu[lame] Kartam [biack man] etc. Since the takes nearly three decadeo complete one orbit round the sun he is reckoned as a very slow moving planet. The name Sanaichara means slow moving. And his vehicle is the crow the familiar black brid. The colour of his graments is also black.

According to astrology, Saturn is the Lord of the houses. Makhara[Capricorn] and Kumbha [Aquarius]. He is exalted in the house Thula[Libra] and is Ayurkaraka or in other words, governs our life span, Sesame or the gingelli is his favourite seed and cooked rice mixed with sesame is the favourite naivedana.

The Siloatatnakara mentions the eagle as his vehicle. It is also said that lamps fed with gingili oil and lighted before him reduces the intensity of his malelife and saturday being his day in the week the offerings on that day of gingili oil fed lamps and gingili-rice bring to the devotee great virtues besides getting the saturnine influence mitigated if thiy happen to be affilicted by it.

Saturn as well known as one of the 9 planets and Is the biggest in the solar system next only to Jupiter. Its diameter is 71,500 milesand is of a lighter density than the earth. It orbits the sun taking about 29.5 years to take one full round, passing through the 12 sign of the zodiac in its stride. It is 886 million miles away from the Sun. And it takes 10.15 hours to make in rotation on its own axis.

In days of yore, when the sages implored to suggest to them a suitable site on earth to perform the Satra yaga, the latter rolled out a Chakra [nemi] made of darbha [Kusa grass] which stopped at a forest [aranya] thus indicating that it was an ideal place for them to do their penance. The became known as the Naimisharanys. According to another version it was called Naimisharanya. Because of the annihilation by the Lord here of holdes of Asuras in minute [Nlmisha].

In Naimisharanya, the famous redezvous of sages and birthplace of the Puranas, God has taken the form of a Pushkarma, while in forest. He exists as water, with a view to providing the sages with shade, tubers and fruits so that could listen to expositions of divine stories uninterruptedly without having to break in order to appease their hunger thirst or to take rest. It was here that Lava and Kusa, the twin sons of Sri Rama sang the Ramayana and the sagh Parasaras son was conferred the title of Veda Vyasa also Balarama was felicitated by the sages on his annihilating the Asura. Balvanan and Srimad Bhagavata was retold at the commencement of KaliYuga by Sage Suka.

Many puranic stories associated with the sacred tanks of Darbharanyeswara were told in the sacred forest of Naimisharanya.

THE CURSE:

A king of the Kalinga country who was cursed to take the form of a wild elephant along with his queen and prince and Roam about in the wilderness because of an unpremeditated slight he offered to Sage Bhagava shed his animal existence along with the members of his family by Sage Naradas intercession who had directed the accursed king to go to Darbharanyeswara and manage to get a drop of the water fall on his body from the head of a pilgrim who just had a dip in the sacred Brahma Thirtha.

Accordingly, the King his Consort and son were transformed to the is former elves. When a drop of his sacred water fell on them from the head of a pilgrim who was mopping his wet hair just after a bath in the sacred tank.

NALAS REDEMPTION :

Nala the handsome and brave king of Nishadha was married to Damayanthi, the Princess of Vidardha she choose him as her Lord in preference to celestials Jndra. Varuna, Agni and Yama, Shani who also had an eye on marrying Damayanthi became enraged at this. He reviled the gods for allowing a mortal to wed Damayanthi and vowed, out of sheer spite, to bring about their separation and ruin Nala also. But he had to wait for twelve long years before he could find any flaw in Nala whose adherence to just see, probity and righteousness and strict observance of religious were impeccable generally. On the commission of a breach in the performance of his morning ablutions on a certain dry Shani took hold of him at once. Thence commenced Nalas misfortunes. He played a game of dice with the wicked Pushkara. He had staked his kingdom and lost but continued the game unmindful of the counsels of the virtuous wife fondly hoping to succeed at one stage to another, Ultimately losing everything Nala left his kingdom and wildernesses. Later, he forsock his wife also, who stood steadfast his companion all through, on a pitch dark night while she was asleep and wended his way through the dense forest. And espying a bigserpant caught ina forest fire writhing in agony, he resuced it. The serpant Karkotaka in return bit Nala its own rescuer, whose body was suddenly transformed into that of a dark dwarf. Karkotaka told him that this transformation in his physical appearance was a service rendered to him in his own interest, which eventual happenings in his life would prove to be correct, and also gave him a snake skin by donning which Nala could assume his original from at will. He also advised him to go to King Ritupanna of Ayodhya and learn from him the tricks employed in the play of the game of dice. Progressing further. Nala reached Ayodhya and his dentity being unrecognisable on account of the physical change effected by the snake bite, he appreached King Ritupanna under the name Bahuka and sought of him employment. He was given one which was that of the kings charioteer, Ritupanna little suspecting that Bahuka was no other than Nala. A king royal who had not his compeer in the three worlds in the art of horsemanship.

Now for Damayandhi, she was greatly distressed at Nalas desernion of her and roamed about the forest until she came upon a caravan whose members were very hospitable to her and agreed to take her to the neighbouring city the next morning. But as ill luck would have it, that night mad elephant attacked the caravan and killed the merchants. When the foriorn Damayanthi came forward voluntarily to give herself up to the animal preferring death the widbeast became submissive and went its way doing her no harm. Trusting in God, Damayanthi resumed her journey and reached the city of Chedi whose Queen captivated by the bewitching beauty of Damayanthi allowed her to emain with her as her companion and maid in the meantime some of the messengers of King Bhima of Vidardha who had arrived in Chedi in search of the royal couple recognized Damayanthi as their princess and she was back by the Queen to Vidarbha with a royal escort.

Damayanthi that a minute examination of Bahuka the short, swarthy charioteer of King Ritupanna suggested that he was a great personage who had gone down in life. Clever Damayanthi forthwith send word through the messenger to King Riutppanna that a second Swayamwara was to take place for her since Nala had deserted her. And King Ritupanna whose love for Damayanthi had never wanted even after the disappointment at the first Swayamwara got ready to attend it the very next morning.

The sight of the chariot which was whirling through the sky immediately revealed to Damayanthi the charioteers mastery over the art of horsemanshop. But the charioteer locked ugly and disease! However, in and all out effort to identify Nala. Damayanthi was prepared to go to any length. She employed several strategies whereby she could identify some of the unique skills that Nala had possessed including proficincy in the culinary arts and her strategies did yield truth.

At long Nala did get back his old majestic and handsome appearance [by wearing the snake - skin]. Unlessing the reunited couple and their children King Ritupanna left Kundinapura. With the help of his father in law Nala marched at the head of an army to Nishadha, defeated King Pushkar in gambirg with the help of knowledge of the science of numbers he had acquired from King Ritupanna, and took back possession of his lost kingdom.

Notwithstanding the restoration of his lost fortune. Nala was still dogged by misery and unhappiness owing to the effects of Shani and on the advice of Sage Bharadwaja at Vriddhachalam he came to Tirunallar where, after a bath in the sacred Brahma Tirtea he regained his mental equipoise, and peace of mind was restored to him thereafter.

He sojowrned for a few days at the sacred shrine dug a tank which was named Nala Tirth after him and got the temple renovated. Whoever has a bath in this tank should be blessed. He prayed to the lord fermently, And be free saturaline influence and the lord granted his prayer.

REDEMPTION FROM THE SIN OF COW KILLING :

King Thooyakanda, ruler of Vedavarthana situation on the bank of the river Godavari, begot a son after long penances and fulfulling many vows and presented riches and cows to the Brahmins who had conducted a Yaga [Putrakmeshti] for the birth of an heir apparent to the King.

Two Brahmins who were also recipients of cows found that one of them had a bigger size cow than the other. Simitten by jealousy and envy they both quarelled violently which ended in mutual exchange of blows with sticks. Unfortunately a severe blow landed on one of the animals which died instantaneously. Gohatya or the sin of killing a cow, though unpremeditated, overtook the Brabmin who immediately became transformed into a low class human being and was blind too.

The unfortunate Brahmin sought the advice of Sage Romasha who directed him to repair to Darbharaya and seek redemption for his sin from the Lord after taking a bath in the Hamsa Tirtha. Accordingly the Brahmin went there and a drop of water from the head of a woman pilgrim who had just bathed in then sacred waters of the tank and was drying her hair landed on him. And Lal immediately he got back his Original Form and sight, the sin of Cow Killing having been absolved.

URUCHI OF AVANTI:

Uruchi, the King of Avanti, once sudplicated before the Sage Bharadwaja who came to his court followed by a few other sages implored the later to advice him as to which and of the numerous forms of charities was most suderior to the others. This sage suggested Annadana or serving food to the starving and added that if this service was performed in Darbharanya Kshetra the donor would earn plenty of merit. Following this advice, the king processed to Darbharanya and worshipped the Lord and offered. Him sincere prayers. The Lord appeared before him and asked him to ask for a boon. The king beseeched the Lord to bless him with His everlasting Grace and the means to offer food to those who sought of him. On obtaining the lord's boon the King remained in this Sacred Place for long devoting Himself to the Service of the poor and Feeding and Hungry.

AGNIVANNAR:

Two sons of a merchant prince bearing the same name of Agnivannar got into lustful ways and ran through their fortunes in no time and became penniless.

Having nothing to feld for themselves and har put to the necessity of keeping their body and soul together, they turned highway robbers, and hiding in jungles overpowered stray travellers, killed them and seized their possessions.

Once a sage happening to pass by their haunt, was also subjected to the same inhuman treatment by the robbers. The sage after giving them wise, counsel advised them to lead a normal life he took them to Darbharanya where these who fallen brothers attained salvation after taking a bath in the Hamsa Dirtha and worshipping, the lord and offering prayers to Him for many Days.