Monday, October 4, 2010

Gomathi Amman

Gomathi amman is one of the manifestation of Adhi shakthi. The temple is popularly known as sankaranayanar kovil and she is the consort of vanmikanathar and seen along with sankaranarayanar(the unification of shiva and vishnu). This temple is 900 years old and was built by Ukkira Pandian a king from pandiya dynasty. Adi thabasu is very famous festival celebrated there every year.

Story
The goddesses is a yogini who was performing her penence on the tip of the needle to please lord shiva and merge with him. Two snake kings namely "sangan" and "padman". Sangan was worshipping lord shiva and padman was worshipping lord narayana. One day they had a quarrel on who is great whether lord shiva, the destroyer or narayana,the protector. They were trying to prove their own power and finally went to the yogini and pleaded her to give them a proper judgement.

The yogini grew out of her grace pleaded the almighty to show his universality form so that not only the snake kings but also fro every human being.By the intense penance lord shiva appears before the yogini in the form of half shiva and half vishnu showing the world that they are equal and it is with love and sacrifice they could reach them. Hence sangan and padman worshipped the lord and prayed to the yogini for showing them a way to attain the god and they stayed with her. the yogini was none ther than goddesses gomathi. Gomathi means repositary of wealth.Since the snakes stayed with the goddesses,this place is free from all venomous creatures and praying to this goddesses can eliminate the fear of venom.

One of the 18 siddhas, the great pambatti siddhar worshipped this goddesses as valai kumari and he regarded this goddesses to be the great serpant power which can make miracles in taking aspirant in yogic transformation. Pambatti siddhar samadhi is seen behind the temple.