madurai meenakshi temple
Lord Shiva, in the form of Sundareshwarar is believed to have performed 64 lilas (Sport) here. These lilas dwell upon the divine intervention of Lord Shiva Himself who had come down to the call of His devotees and performed miraculous deeds. These anecdotes are full of wit and wisdom, illustrating the Lord’s compassion to His devotees. These devotees included kings, queens and the common man whose devotion to Lord Shiva was all consuming. Occasionally it reached such a height as to make the devotee offer his life and soul entirely to the Lord. Shiva donned several forms fro the sake of devotees appearing as a Siddhar, a poet, a fisherman, a wood cutter and even a labourer. The stories are narrated in various sthala puranams pertaining to the Madurai temple. They became so popular that they have been written in various languages in different periods including the most elaborate versions such as Paranjothi’s Thiruvilaiyaadal Puraanam.
Some of the earliest among these Puraanas are Perumbattrappuliyur Nambi’s Thiruvaalavayudaiyar Thiruvilaiyaadal Puranam and Halasya Mahaatmyam a Sanskrit work based on the earlier puranams. Nambi’s work may be assigned to about the 12th – 13th Century while Paranjothi’s was written in the 16th – 17th Century. Other works in which the Thiruvilaiyaadal Lilas are narrated are Andari’s Sundara Pandiyam based on a Sanskrit work of the same name; Ashtamipradaksina Maanmyam (both in Sanskrit and Tamil) and Maduraikkalambakam of Kumaraguruparar.
A large number of the lilas such as those connected with Thirugnaanasambandhar, the Jains, Manickavaasagar, the Cheras and the Cholas, are legends surrounding actual historical events. But at present, it is difficult to separate the fact from fiction completely. Apart from these minor and perhaps major differences, there is a lot of similarity about the various lilas. Salvation to a stork This legendary story is some what unique, were in the grace of Shiva is showered even on a bird. In this case a stork, which is in search of fish to feed on, chances to find a lade where a few hermits are performing their ablutions. It overhears their talk about the sanctity of Madurai and wishes to see the place.
Upon visiting the sacred temple, it comes to the famous Golden Lotus pond, where a fish jumps near it. The nature of the stork is to feed on the fish, but that would vilify the sacred campus and so curtails its natural instincts. Whereupon Shiva reveals Himself to it and appreciates this selfless quality of the bird. He blesses it with release from the cycle of birth and death and grants Godhood. The stork further implores on Him, to assist future avian visitors who might not be able to control their senses as well as itself. Shiva in all His grace grants that wish as well and causes that there would be no marine life in the golden lotus pond, henceforth.