Kodumudi
The Temple Where Brahma Performed Penance
There is a traditional story that Lord Brahma came to this sacred place, performed penance, and received the blessings of Lord Makuteswarar.
In ancient times, a dispute arose between Brahma and Vishnu about who was greater.
To settle this, Lord Shiva manifested in a colossal form, stretching from the heavens to the earth.
Lord Vishnu took the form of a boar (Varaha) and kept digging deep into the earth to find Shiva’s feet but could not succeed.
Brahma, on the other hand, flew higher and higher in the sky, trying to reach Shiva’s head. But even as far as his eyes could see, the Lord was nowhere to be found.
At that time, a Thazhamboo (screw pine flower) was seen drifting down from the sky.
Brahma asked the flower, “Where are you coming from?”
The flower replied, “From the Lord’s matted hair.”
Immediately, Brahma got an idea. He requested the Thazhamboo to falsely testify that it had been plucked by him from Shiva’s head.
Eventually, the lie told by Brahma and the Thazhamboo angered Lord Shiva.
The Supreme Lord cursed both of them that they would no longer have a place of worship in any temple.
At that time, Brahma had five heads. Shiva ordered Bhairava to cut off one head, leaving Brahma with four faces.
Ashamed and repentant of his falsehood, Brahma—now with four faces—felt humiliated before the other Gods and sought to atone for his sin.
The sacred place where he came to perform penance and remove his sin is Kodumudi.
After performing penance for a long time beneath the Vanni tree in Kodumudi, Lord Shiva was moved with compassion, removed his curse, and granted him blessings.
He also permitted Brahma to establish a temple at that very spot under the Vanni tree.
The Shrine Worshipped by Vishnu
Lord Vishnu too came to Kodumudi to plead with Lord Makuteswarar to forgive his son, Brahma, for his wrongdoing.
Historical Stories
The temple’s Sthala Purana and some Puranic legends narrate the story in a different way.
At the base of the Arunachaleswarar Temple in Thiruvannamalai, known as the Aadi Annamalai Temple, Lord Brahma once saw a celestial maiden named Tilottama. Overcome by desire, Brahma became infatuated with her.
Blinded by passion, he tried to approach Tilottama closely, but she began to run away. Brahma chased after her.
Seeing this, Lord Arunachaleswarar grew angry and stopped Brahma, saying:
“You are the Creator. Tilottama is the woman you created. Since she is your own creation, she is like your daughter. To lust after someone like your daughter is a grave sin. Even with atonement, such a sin cannot be easily absolved.”
Realizing his mistake, Brahma fell at Shiva’s feet and pleaded for forgiveness and liberation from his sin.
Moved with compassion, Lord Shiva told Brahma to go to Kodumudi, perform worship and rituals of atonement (punaskara), and undertake penance there.
“Only then will you be freed from your sin,” Shiva said.
Brahma went to Kodumudi, bathed daily in the Kaveri River, performed Shiva worship, and undertook severe penance under the sacred Vanni tree.
As a result of this penance, his sin was absolved.
The Shiva Linga that Brahma consecrated and worshipped after being freed of his sin in Thiruvannamalai is still present at the Aadi Annamalai Temple and continues to bless devotees to this day.
The Kodumudi temple, which granted Brahma liberation from his sin, is believed to continuously bestow grace upon those who come with a repentant heart and pray with sincerity.
Lord Vishnu too unexpectedly incurred a sin.
When the ocean of milk was churned, the nectar (amrita) emerged. The Lord created the nectar for the benefit of the gods (devas).
However, some demons (asuras) disguised themselves as devas and tried to take away the nectar. One of those asuras even began drinking the nectar right there.
Seeing this, Lord Vishnu grew angry and hurled his discus (chakra), cutting the asura’s body into two parts—head and body. These two parts later became Rahu and Ketu.
To absolve himself of the sin that arose from this act, Vishnu chose Kodumudi as the place of atonement.
Lord Vishnu came to Kodumudi, offered tarpanam (ritual oblation), performed penance, and was freed from the dosha (sin).
Overjoyed after receiving the Lord’s grace, he manifested here as Veeranarayana Perumal and had a temple established.
Because of this Puranic event, Kodumudi has been revered as a sacred place that removes curses and sins, no matter how grave or to whom they may belong.
On this tree, the branches on one side have thorns, while those on the other side are without thorns. The tree does not bear flowers or fruits and is considered to possess a divine nature.
Under the Vanni tree, Lord Brahma is seen bestowing grace with four faces, of which three are visible, while the Vanni tree itself is believed to represent his fourth face.
Devotees circumambulate the sacred Vanni tree 12, 24, 48, or 108 times, either according to their wish or as part of a vow they have undertaken. Some devotees also go around the tree as many times as their age, offering prayers.
Devotees who undertake the Paada Yatra (pilgrimage on foot) from Kodumudi to Palani traditionally place Vanni leaves in their holy water pot (Teertha Kalasam) and carry it along the journey—a custom that has been followed since ancient times.
Those performing Kuladeivam (family deity) worship also follow the same practice of carrying Vanni leaves in their holy water pot.
In front of the Kodumudi temple, the wide Kaveri River flows gracefully with compassion.
On the opposite bank of the temple stands a sacred rock known as Agathiyar Paarai (Agastya’s Rock), filled with divine energy.
At one time, the Kaveri River developed pride—born from the fact that many sages, seers, and devotees of Lord Shiva came to bathe in her waters.
When the great sage Agastya came to Kodumudi and witnessed the river’s arrogance, he became angry.
He trapped all the water of Kaveri in his kamandalam (water pot) and sat on a rock, meditating.
Because the river had no water, farming stopped, famine spread, and the people suffered.
The people prayed to Lord Vinayaka for help.
Out of compassion, Vinayaka took the form of a crow, flew to Agastya, and knocked over the kamandalam.
The water flowed out, and the Kaveri River was full again. The people were very happy.
From that place, the river—which had been flowing south—changed its direction and started flowing east towards the Chola kingdom.
The crow that struck the water pot (kamandalam) and brought life back to the world flew from there and entered the Makuteswarar temple. It then went into the sanctum of Kaveri Kanda Vinayagar, who bestows his grace there, and disappeared.
Sage Agastya had a very close bond with Lord Magudeshwarar in this temple.
Because of Agastya’s deep love and devotion, the Lord always accepted his affection and stayed close to him.
After the floodwaters receded, he would place the Lingam back on the pedestal and return with joy in his heart.
There are four sacred water bodies (teerthas) here: Deva Teertham, Brahma Teertham, Bharadwaja Teertham, and the Kaveri River.
Deva Teertham is near the Vanni tree,
Brahma Teertham is near the temple kitchen (Madappalli), and Bharadwaja Teertham is near the Navagraha shrine.
It is believed that bathing in Brahma Teertham blesses one with the grace of the Guru, love for learning, wisdom, eloquence, and long life.
The Sethu Purana says that bathing in the Kaveri River is equal to bathing in the Ganges.
Some demons, disguised as students, also came to learn from him. After learning, they began misusing the Vedas and mantras for evil purposes.
To atone for the sin caused by this act, he came to the sacred place of Kodumudi.
Here, he created a sacred water body, bathed in it, performed rituals, worshipped the Lord, and was freed from his sin.
That very sacred water body created by him is known as the Bharadwaja Teertham.
Kodumudi holds the honor of being the only sacred place sung by all three saints—Thirunavukkarasar, Thirugnanasambandar, and Sundaramurthi Nayanar.
It was here that Sundaramurthi Nayanar sang and offered the Namashivaya Thirupathigam.
After bathing in the Kaveri River, if one also bathes in the Deva Teertham, Brahma Teertham, and Bharadwaja Teertham, and worships the Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) along with the Goddess, it is believed that sins from past births as well as those of the present life will be removed.
It is a tradition for newly married couples to visit this temple immediately after their wedding to worship the Trinity. They pray here for a happy married life and begin their new life with blessings.
Kodumudi is also considered an auspicious place for the 60th wedding ceremony. Devotees perform rituals like Ayushya Homam (for long life) and business development homams here.
The temple is regarded as a powerful place for remedies (pariharams) for Rahu-Ketu dosha, Mars dosha, Pitru dosha, marriage delays, childlessness, marital issues, family problems, women-related doshas, and Brahmin-related doshas.
Performing astikaranam (immersing ashes) and tithi rituals for ancestors is considered highly auspicious here.
On Mahalaya Amavasya, a large number of devotees perform tarpanam (ancestral offerings) at this sacred place.
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