Some are associated with tantric practices and dark magic. They are deemed wilderness goddesses – highly local and traditionally worshiped primarily by lower caste, Dalit, tribal and rural folk. They are hot-tempered, demanding and fiery. Mariamman, on the other hand, carries a scimitar with which to smite and decapitate the demons of virulence and illness.Ĭontagion goddesses are not angelic and gentle, as one might expect caregivers to be.
Sheetala carries a pot of healing water, a broom to sweep away dirt, a branch of the indigenous Neem tree – said to cure skin and breathing disorders – and a jar of ambrosia for eternal life. The goddesses’ iconography emphasizes their therapeutic healing powers. In the north of India, she is known as the goddess Sheetala, meaning “the cold one” – a nod to her ability to cool fevers. In south India, the premier contagion goddess is Mariamman – from the word “Mari” meaning both pox and transformation. Debajyoti Chakraborty/NurPhoto via Getty Images This is the most famous annual festival, lakhs of devotees from different directions throng the temple in this month which is marked by festivity and gaiety.Hindu priests wearing protective gear perform rituals in front of the Hindu goddess Kali. Kundam Festival is celebrated in the Tamil Month of Panguni (March – April). The above history has been represented by a set of paintings on the temple wall. Thus Bannari became the permanent abode of the goddess. Moreover, she wanted a temple to be constructed there so that the people in and around that place would pray to Her in the name of Bannari Mariamman. The deity was enamoured of the picturesque beauty of that place and she decided to stay on there to bless and protect the pilgrims. According to his words, it was understood that the deity safeguarded the traders from Tamil Nadu who passed by that way to Mysore to sell their goods carried by cows on their back. As a spokesman of the Deity he began to pass on the divine message to everybody. Among the devotees who were there, one got into a trance. They prayed to the Linga with fold hands.
Linga is a special of divinity and so they felt that the spot beneath the Vengai tree should have a celestical significance. Milk cozed out of the teats of its udder on the particular spot amidst the grass.They removed the thickly grown grass and shrubs there and, to their surprise, they found a sand-hill and s Swayambu Linga near it. They found the cow repeating the same behavior. Next day they were on the spot to witness the wonder. The news spread like wildfire to the villagers. He wondered at such a strangle sight and told about it to the other cowherds. Milk began to flow from its udder automatically. It went alone near a Vengai tree and stood beneath it. He allowed the other cows to graze and pursued that particular cow secretly. The cowherd has his own doubts about that particular cow and he decided to have an eye on it. This name Bannari for this great historical place originated because of the great temple “Bannari Amman Temple”. One particular cow did not allow the cowherd to get milk, nor did it allow its calf to go near it.Īround 300 years ago, the dana Nayakkan or Dhandanyakkan forest was called “Bannari”.
The cowherds used to extract milk form the udder of each cow and hand over the collected Milk to the owners of the cows. These cows were driven back to the stables at dusk. The cows fed on the grass found in plenty here. Cowherds used to drive the cattle to the fields jeer for grazing. People of past had witnessed the wonderful sight of tigers and cows quenching their thirst at the same spot of the river. Main deity is goddess Mariamman (the goddess of rain), a form of supreme mother Durga or Maha Kali or Shakthi. Bannari Amman temple is one of the most famous Amman temples in Tamil nadu and it is in Bannari on NH 209, near Sathyamangalam, Erode district.