FAD OR FAITH PART III
Sree Devi
Karumaari Amman Temple, Thiruverkaadu
It was something of a coincidence that my first visit to Sree Devi
Karumaari Amman Temple, Thiruverkaadu, was during the return trip from my first
visit to Tirupathi. In 1964. The temple consisted of a very small square room
which housed a bust size idol of the Devi. There was plenty of open space. The Pooja was quite simple and not as per the
Aagamas – at least this is my recollection. All the same, it had become quite
popular and it was attracting increasing number of devotees. Swaami Ramadas,
was in charge. At that time, it never
occurred to me that this temple and the presiding deity were going to guide and
protect me to such an extent that they would remain uppermost in my mind
always.
My second visit was in March 1967 – again during the return trip from
Tirupathi. The temple sanctum had been altered. It was the time for the evening
Pooja and deepaaraadhana.
A primary school for
local children, mostly from poor families
was run by the Swaami. It was a pleasure to watch the pupils as they went
round the temple chanting “ OM SAKTHI’
during the evening aaratthi. But even then the power and grace of the deity did
not penetrate my wooden heart.
On the 26th January, 1972, after attending a marriage during
the day, I was wondering how to spend the afternoon. I had bought a car a month
back and a part-time driver had been engaged for our trips when necessary. He
suggested our visiting Karumaari Amman temple adding that many people took a vow to visit the temple on specified
days of the week to get over their problems and the deity’s Grace helped them.
We went to the temple on that day.
Then, when my first son, Madan, was passing through critical phase of his illness, I
felt that I could visit this temple for a few days consecutively (instead of
specific days every week). I was caught up in a vicious whirlpool. Madan’s
illness, my work at the office which involved some delicate investigations,
lack of co-operation from associates, financial stringency, other children’s and my mother’s illness – all converged on me
simultaneously. I could count only on
Devine support. So I did visit the temple every day, for a week or ten days. The temple was 9 miles away from my residence
in R B I staff quarters at Kilpauk. I used to get up at 4 . a m, have my bath
and wearing a dhothi and an upper cloth, drive to the temple chanting some
slokas, spend 20 to 30 minutes at the temple and return by 6 a.m. Having found solace in this, I continued the
practice as often as possible. On a few occasions, I encountered problems en
route. Once, after I passed, a huge tree on the road side, crashed with all its
branches. I was saved by God’s Grace.
The second time was when I took Mr. Vijayaraghavan, my joint chief
Officer from Bombay. He was passing through difficult times and he had written
to me that he would like to visit this temple and a temple of Vaishnavi Devi
at Thirumullaivayal, a suburb of Madras.
It was rainy season. We had decided to start at 4 a..m. one day from Hotel
Dasaprakash where he was staying.
Torrential rains were lashing the city since the previous night. But I
took him in my car, a sturdy 1962 model Ambassador. The causeway from High Road connecting the
small road to the temple was flooded. Visibility was poor. I do not know how I managed to drive to the
temple. We had a very satisfying
darsanam and Mr Vijayaraghavan was immensely pleased.
While returning,
one gentleman working in the Life Insurance Corporation at Madras, asked for a
lift. His family was residing near the temple for a couple of generations and
he narrated the genesis and growth of the temple and the temple at
Thirumullaivaayal. He also told us about Vedapureeswarar temple, a very ancient
temple hardly a mile away from Devi karumaari Amman temple, existing since the times of Chola dynasty. I shall narrate what I learnt
from him later. On the day in question,
on our return trip, when we neared the bend at a place called Maduravoyal, we
found that two buses had collided head on and were severely damaged. A chill went up my spine. If this had been the fate of expert drivers who
took several trips on that route daily, it was a wonder that I drove up to the
temple without any hitch.
We proceeded to Vaishnavi Devi
temple at Thirumullaivayaal. We had a
very comfortable trip and were very much impressed by the beauty of the idol
and the aesthetic way in which it had been decorated by Swaami Parthasarathy,
the founder of the Aasramam and the temple. We paid our respects to him and proceeded to our residences. I shall briefly indicate the genesis and
development of the two temples as narrated by our companion from Thiruverkaad.
About thiruverkaad he said that one Thambusami Poosaari was worshipping
a bust size idol of Devi karumaari Amman at the place where the present sanctum
is. He used to foretell future events
and also do parihaaram (atonement) for sins of people and cure diseases by
chanting Manthras, waving neem leaves dipped in water kept in a pot and
sanctified by chanting manthras. He was very popular and had some disciples. Many people who benefited from his services
donated lands to the temple. His portrait adorns the main hall of the temple
now. When he passed away, his disciples grabbed the lands. His own progeny were
not competent in the mission carried on by him. The temple had no finances for
daily rituals and it was practically uncared for. Two persons who claimed to be
interested in the art, were daily attending the temple and were competing with
each other. There were frequent quarrels between them. Then, our companion’s
mother persuaded one of them known as
Ayyappaswami to shift to a place close
to the Vedapureeswarar temple nearby and Swaami Ramadas to take charge of the
Karumaari amman temple. She also
arranged for daily supply of a bushel of
rice, oil for the lamps etc to each of
these. Swaami Ramadas took very keen interest in the development of the temple
and won the respect and patronage of devotees.
Meanwhile, once during his paadayaathras (pilgrimage on foot), Sree Chandrasekharendrasarawathi swaamigal,
Pontiff of Kaanchi Kaamakoti Peettham,
accompanied by Sri Bhakthavathsalam, then a minister in the Madras Government,
stopped at the spot and took out the
garland of thulasi (Basil leaves) given by a devotee and worn by him, and put
it on the floor. He said that the place had great spiritual significance. He
desired that a proper temple should be constructed
there and worship should be systematised and streamlined as per Aagama
Saasthras. Bhakthavathsalam took keen
interest and within a short time, the desire was fulfilled. A new idol of Devi
was installed behind the bust size idol worshipped by Thambusaami Poosaari,
consecrated as per Aagamas and priests well versed in these took over the
rituals. Within a few years, the temple
grew phenomenally and a giant tower at the entrance, beautiful structures, idols, Vaahanams
(vehicles for procession of the deity) etc. developed.
The
genesis of the temple of Sree Vaishnavi Devi, as per our companion that day,
was equally interesting. It seems that
Swaami Parthasarathy was the Managing Director of Prithivi Insurance Company,
which had its main office opposite the High Court at Madras. He adopted western style of living and was
not very much interested in religious practices. Once he had some foreigners as his guests and
they wished to see Sree
Chandrasekharendra saraswathi swaamigal, Pontiff of Kanchi Kaamakoti
Pettham. He took them to the village
where the Swaamigal was stationed, introduced them to the ushers at the camp
and when they were taken inside, he himself stood outside. After a fairly lengthy discussion, while the
foreigners were coming out, the Pontiff himself came along with them to see
them off. By chance or by design, the
Pontiff’s eyes and Parthasarathy’s eyes crossed and immediately, the latter
prostrated before the Pontiff. That
marked the turn of Parthasarathy’s life
and he became intensely gripped by spiritual quest.
Parthasarathy was interested in architecture , especially
sculpture. He used to collect idols. They were kept in the compound of his
house. Once when he was taking a walk in the compound, he found that an
idol received by him was still in gunny
bag packing. He had it opened. It was a beautiful idol of Vaishnavi Devi. He
had it taken inside his house. His
mother did not like idol of a deity which was not traditionally worshiped in
the family, being kept inside the house. By coincidence, a series of mishaps
occurred. While carrying out some major renovation to the office building, the
upper floor collapsed resulting in death of some staff. His son met with an accidental death. His
mother attributed these to the presence of the idol of Vaishnavi devi in the
house.
Parthasarathy was reluctant to discard the idol to which he
had become sentimentally very much attached. He built a small shrine in the
farm which he had in Thirmullaivaayal and installed the idol there. Over a period
of time, he himself shifted to this place and became a sanyasi. The place
became an Aashramam and we found even some foreigners camping there.
We could not
of course get this information about the two temples authenticated by any one.
We believed what our companion of that day told us. We were impressed with the divine atmosphere
at both the places and that was enough for us.
Every day
there was improvement in the facilities provided to devotees and the faith in
the Devi at Thiruverkaad was increasing.
People used to come on foot and bicycles from far off places to witness
the rituals and have a darsanam of the deity.
I witnessed
one Abhishekam and the special ritual called Navakalasa Abhishekam, The experience was thrilling and spiritually
elevating. Being a frequent visitor, the
priests and employees knew me very well and I used to be taken straight into
the place close to the sanctum and allowed to stand as long as I liked to. May
be I needed this solace as, outside the temple, I was buffeted and battered by
domestic problems and tough work at the office. I had arranged for Abhishekam,
Navakalasa Abhishekam etc. several times as a vow taken during crises, mainly
health problems of my children, and despite financial stringency, which had
become my constant companion, money used to flow to fulfil these vows. There was never an occasion when I took such
vows for personal gains like promotion
or accumulating money. It was not a
question of buying happiness or bribing the Gods. It was the realisation that there is no
conflict between Nishkaama Karma and seeking Providential help to discharge
one’s duties and in the process, sacrificing something held valuable, or for
that matter, doing some act or abstaining from enjoyment of pleasures and
conquest or at least erasure of ego
though temporarily. I would feel it odd if one were to come and tell me in the
present day world that he does not ask God for anything and he believes in
Nishkaama Karma without any qualifications. My response will be that he has
built up his ego to a dangerous level. If we concede, as we ought to, that there has
got to be a purpose and a goal for our actions, the fulfilment of the purpose
and achievement of the goal must be desired and achieved through our actions.
To this extent, therefore, there is a kaamya, wish, desire, expectation, or
hope, call it whatever you like. Even the staunchest of Yogis who has renounced
everything in this world and does penance for self-realisation, has a goal and
he seeks Providential help, first for conducting his search without impediment
and, second, to attain it. Therefore, let us not forget that we are ordinary
mortals and let us not delude ourselves into self-hypnosis and deny the
privilege of seeking divine help and support when we come up against a wall. It
is natural and logical as well as fully justified to seek refuge in the
Almighty in such circumstnces.
I am afraid that I have strayed far away from the mainstream
of this narrative about the temple of Devi Karumaari Amman at
Thiruverkaadu. Over a period of time, I
found that many of my problems which confronted me, very often simultaneously, and which I had
placed before the Deity, because of sheer desperation, were solved
miraculously. There could be no logical explanation for the way they were
solved. I am recounting a only a few.
This one happened at Bangalore. There was one doctor having his clinic- cum - residence near my residence. On a few occasions I had consulted him when my
children developed very high fever. He had one more clinic a little away, a car and scooter and I think he was
staying in his own house. He was quite young and for all outward appearance, he
was very well off. One Monday morning
around 6 a.m., in February 1979, he ame to my house and asked for a loan of
Rs.10,000/ He said he had finalised the purchase of a plot of land close to his
second clinic and the deal would slip off
if he could not pay a substantial amount
before 10 a.m. He was short by about 10,000/ . He promised to repay the amount by next Sunday or latest by
Monday. I had sold my Standard Herald
car a week earlier and was planning to by another small car. To pay
an advance in case I could locate a car suitable to my needs, I had retained Rs.6,000/ in cash with me. I
told this to the doctor. He said it would not be enough and went away. Around 9 a.m. he came back and asked for the
amount saying that he had got the remaining amount from some one else. I do
not think any one in my position would
have in the first place divulged to him the availability of that much of funds
with himself and worse still, given him the money without a proper document or even a receipt.
I did just that! For one thing, it was
emergency time and late attendance would not be condoned by the office. Secondly he was hurrying me like
anything. I did not mention the
transaction to any one.
Meanwhile, a close friend who was a musician, arranged to
get me an old Standard Pennant car, which was in good condition and quite
suitable for my limited use, for 6,000/ rupees.
I told the owner that I would pay the price next Sunday or Monday when
doctor would repay me. Doctor did not
turn up on Sunday evening or Monday. morning. I went to his residence in the
evening. I waited for about half an
hour. Doctor came out and said “ how
unfortunate Mr. Moorthy, I forgot to
draw money from the bank. Why not come tomorrow? Or better still, allow me to bring the money to your home “ I
told him I could take cheque. He said he
would write a cheque, went inside and came out immediately, saying that the
cheque book was exhausted and nothing could be done till the next day. Even then
I did not realise the implications.
As I was coming out, the owner of a bakery in the next building, who was acquainted with me, asked me about buying
the car chosen by me. I told him that I
had given some money to the doctor and that I would take delivery of the car as soon as
doctor repaid me. He expressed surprise and asked me “Sir, you are an inspector
of banks. Should you not know that when a person comes to you early on Monday
morning and asks for a loan, promising to repay it on next Sunday evening or
Monday morning in this season, he has lost in betting at the horse race and has
to repay the money to his creditors who lent him money for betting ? He
promised to repay you next Sunday evening or Monday morning, hoping to win at
the races next week end. Doctor was a good man and efficient in his profession.
He fell into bad company and gambles much now-a-days. He is deeply in debt and is dodging creditors. He hardly stays here. You are a pious man. Let us hope God comes to
your help!”
This was a shock that I could not bear with equanimity. I
had come to the locality a couple of years ago on transfer from Madras. Some people in the locality knew me to be a
Reserve Bank Officer, but none close enough for me to confide in or expect
support, in case I had to confront the doctor. I had no scrap of evidence to
prove that I had given the money to the doctor.
Whereas, he was popular. Practically no one knew of his involvement in
gambling. That night I could not sleep.
The amount was not too small to be ignored. I had incurred heavy expense in connection
with my transfer and my mother’s and children’s illness. I needed a car very
badly due to the illness of my children, especially as public transport was not
dependable in that area. I was feeling
miserable When the doctor asked for
money, I could not tell a lie and say I had no money.
I could not also refuse point blank as I needed his service
occasionally, when I could not go to the child specialist. I just told my wife and none else.
Anyway, the next
morning, as soon as the branch post office near my house opened at 7,30 a.m., I sent Five
rupees by money order to Sree Devi Karumaari Amman temple at Thiruverkaad fervently praying that I should be saved
from financial loss and loss of face
among my people and local acquaintances. Believe it or not, within minutes
after my returning home from the post office,
doctor came with a cheque for Rs.6,000/- from dthe middle of the cheque
book ( earlier he had told me that his cheque book was exhausted) and told
me to write my name or the name of the person whose car I was purchasing. His
only request was that I should wait till Wednesday (the next day) to lodge the
cheque in the bank. I was now feeling a little better as I had some evidence
and right to sue if the cheque was dishonoured.
The next day, he came and paid the amount and took back the cheque.
Immediately . I went and took delivery of the car and showed It to him . Bakery Iyengar had seen all that happened
that evening between the doctor and me. He came to me and said “ By God’s grace you got your
money. Doctor has cheated almost all his
creditors. Anyway, you have learnt a lesson and you will be careful about
helping others with your money”.
Actually, I had learnt two. One was, as he said and second, that my
faith in the constant protection and help from the Almighty was amply justified. I had only to stick to moral standards and do
my work.
2. I had a
beautiful picture of Mahaalakshmi sitting on a red lotus given to me by a
friend almost ten years back. . I had
kept it aside as it was too large. At Bangalore, I was staying in an independent
bungalow, taken on lease by the Reserve Bank.
There was plenty of space and " L " shaped place adjacent to the kitchen
with two spacious cupboards facing East. We used this place as our dining room and the cupboards for
our Pooja. There was space above the
cupboards. The previous occupant of the
house had left a very nice picture of
Sakthi Ganapathy, in the garage. I brought it inside the house. As our priest
opined that I should keep the Ganapathy picture in our Pooja, I had the picture
framed and kept it. Later, I gave the
picture of Mahaalakshmi to the same frame maker for putting it in a good frame .
As it was a Friday. I told him that he should deliver it to me that evening
however late it might be, as I usually had a small Pooja every Friday evening.
He was a Muslim. He asked me whether he
could cover the letters W S I (W.S.INSULATORS) appearing prominently in the
central petal of the lotus on which Mahaalakshmi was seated. I said he could do
so with some gilt paper, but without spoiling the picture. I waited
for a long time after I finished my regular Pooja as I wanted to do the final Aarathi after keeping the new picture. When I had
almost given up hopes, the man turned up
with the picture. He apologised for the delay and added that instead of gilt paper, he found a small but clear picture of one
Hindu Goddess of correct size and he pasted it in the centre of the Lotus. He
added that he hoped I would not mistake him.
I unwrapped the cover and to my astonishment I found that the picture
which he had so carefully selected and pasted was that of Sree Devi karumaari
Amman. Can I ask for anything better? I was
keeping the pictures till 2004 December, when moved to my present flat due to
compelling reasons. For want of space, I
gave away a few large pictures to one
person who was keen to have them. I
regret my error in not taking photos of the pictures and keeping smaller sizes
of the replicas in my Pooja.
3. In
March/April, 1983, , I was due to come
back to Reserve Bank of India after a deputation. I opted for posting at Bombay to ensure
continuity of education and job opportunities for my children. Many of my friends felt that it was a wrong
decision as getting accommodation provided by Reserve Bank in its own quarters
or on leased flats, was very difficult. There was a very long waiting
list. One friend Mr. Bhandari, who knew some builders, had assured me that he would be able
to get me a flat at reasonable rent, though it might not be within the city or close to my office. I should give a guarantee to the builder that
I would vacate the flat at the end of 18 months. I was thinking about this. Meanwhile, one of my colleagues, who had a vacant flat in his wife’s name, conveyed to me through a common friend that he would let it out to me. The flat had been a dead investment to him
for nearly four years; he had not even performed the house-warming
function. As I was stationed at Mangalore, I had requested one of my
friends at Bombay, to visit the flat. But, for no
reason, the owner revised his decision and said
that he was not going to let out his flat. My other friend Bhandari, was quite firm that
he could talk to the builders only after I personally saw and approved the
flat. I was put out because there was no likelihood of my visiting Bombay,
before the end of my term of deputation.
Work was heavy and I had to keep everything ready for handing over
charge to my successor. My family and friends were unhappy and I myself did not
know what I was going to do. I told my friends and family members that I
believed in the power of Devi Kaarumaari Amman and She would look after me.
As it
happened, certain developments in my assignment made it imperative for me to
visit Bombay immediately. I tried to
contact my friend who had offered to get me a flat through his builder friends,
and say that I was at Bombay and ready
to visit the flats, if they were
still available. He was out of
town. On the penultimate day of my visit,
having finished my work early, I decided that, out of courtesy, I should
thank my colleague who had offered his
wife’s flat for his kindness in offering the flat initially, though he
retracted his decision due to compulsion of circumstances. I met him at his office. and told him that there need not be any hard
feelings though he could not give me the flat.. It was obvious that he was embarrassed. But the fact was that after he said no to me earlier, he had
consulted his friends and some of them had admonished him for withdrawing
his offer and continuing to lose money.
So he profusely apologised for saying no to me and again offered the
flat to me. No need for advance or
deposit to be paid to him. I was to pay
Rs. 700/ per month and put in my own fixtures and fittings, which I could take
with me at the time of vacating. No
formal agreement. But he insisted that he would treat the matter as settled
only after I personally saw the flat and approved.
So, early next morning, we met at a spot close to the flat
and he took me to see the flat.. It was in Cheddanagar, adjoining the plot on which Modern English
School is situated. There was a
disadvantage. This building and
another were on the banks of a
moat. As I reached the gates of the
building, the first thing that caught my
attention was the marble slab bearing the nscription “ SRI
DEVI KARUMARI AMMAN CO-OPERATIVE HOUSING SOCIETY LTD”. AND THE NAME OF THE
BUILDING WAS “GAYATHRI”.
There was no question of my rejecting it. It was a single bedroom flat with a living
area of 550 sq.ft. on the ground floor.
Modern English School, headed by Mrs. Nayak and a senior teacher named
Mrs .Uchil, were from Mangalore. When
they heard that my children were studying in Carmel School, St. Annes School
and Milageres Schooll at Mangalore, the children were happily welcomed as
students. The donation was a nominal
Rs.300/ per child for the building fund as it was a new school and needed more built-up space.
I landed with my family at the flat on 3rd June,
1983, bag and baggage. I committed a mistake in not transporting my old car in
the same truck which brought our luggage. I was not sure whether I would need it
at Bombay and had requested a friend to dispose it of. Anyway, the faithful old vehicle joined me a
month later and served me for some more time, till a person who was keen to
have it on sentimental grounds, bought it from me in October or November, 1984.
My first daughter
also got admission in Somaiya College (within walking distance) without any
problem, although by the time we came to
Bombay, admissions were practically closed
My mother exclaimed
on seeing the brand new flat and the surrounding area “ It is as though
Devi was keeping this flat ready for us all these years.” The feeling was all the more strong when we
came to know that the Chief priest of my mother’s village and some others who had
been close to us at the village were also staying nearby. The imposing temple of Lord Subrahmanya was another boon to us. We spent
just over one year in the flat, when the Bank allotted a leased flat in
an adjacent area and in about ten months we were in RBI's 'JALADA' in Prabhadevi. By that time, all of us had become familiar with the city and could travel by public transport without any difficulty.
The most curious thing was that within months after our
leaving the flat, it was sold by the owner. Perhaps my mother was
correct. Devi did really keep it for us
!!!
There were numerous instances of Devi’s help in many
ways. This one was in 1988. I was a Member of Faculty in the Bankers Training College, RBI, at Bombay. I had recommended a Progaramme on PUBLIC
RELATIONS IN BANKS. After some
discussion as to how this was different from the programmes on customer relations
and Marketing of Bank Services, which were already in the schedule, the programme was included in the annual
calendar of programmes. I was , made the
Proagramme director. I charted the course content and structure and contacted many
banks for their reactions to the proposed programme. They welcomed it. One gentleman offered to help with
inputs and faculty to conduct some sessions. I prepared the
schedule of sessions and sent out letters to all public sector banks inviting
participation in the programme. More
than thirty offered to participate. It
was now for me to fix the speakers for the various topics. At that stage I
sought the help of the gentleman who had promised to help. He was very polite, but declined to help
because he was fully tied up with other work. On wednesday,
preceding the Monday on which the programme was to start, I still
had to find speakers for four sessions out of twelve. It was neither
proper nor possible for me to handle all the topics. I was not an expert in the area. I had to finalise the time table complete with the names
of Faculty conducting the sessions, get the
Principal’s approval and take out copies before Friday. Hand outs had to be prepared. I was helpless and very much depressed.
First, because the programme itself was my brainchild and the loss of face, if it did not come out well, was unthinkable.
Secondly, BTC programmes had a name and standard. I had to keep up those. I pondered over these for some time and quietly went
to the post office nearby and sent a money order to Devi Karumaari amman temple
for a small amount. By afternoon, that
day, a friend to whom I had mentioned
about the programme, suggested that I invite the chief of PR in a Multinational, organisation for any topic in Public Relations area as he was a very good PR person and also a good speaker.
In another couple of hours , I got one more speaker. They accepted my invitation. I decided to manage
the remaining two sessions myself. I
presented the time table the next morning and it was approved.
The programme was a
success. It was repeated as a regular course in BTC and training institutions of other banks followed suit.
But the most curious occurrence in this was that, while my first programme was going on, the person who had offered to help me and withdrew his
support at the last minute, asked me over the phone whether I had fixed
speakers for the sessions. I told him
that we were mid-way through the programme and that it was going on well. Then he pleaded with me to
invite him to handle one session at
least. I told him that the only session for which I could invite him
was as an sdditionl member of the panel in the group presentation of a
project by four groups of participants on the Penultimate day afternoon. He
said he had to be in a meeting up to 1.30 p m,
but would be very happy to join as a PANELIST. He would be prepared to skip lunch; a few biscuits and tea would do.
So it was arranged and he was
happy.
Even as recently as in April 2015, we had a difficulty in our family. I prayed to Devi and vowed to have a Navakalasa abhishekam performed if we could get over the problem. By Here Grace, the problem was solved. very soon. I fulfilled my vow on 10th June 2018.
Just two more points. I do not know exactly in what context Devi took the avatharam as Karumaari Amman. At the Navakalasa Abhishekam, Nine avatharas of Devi are installed in nine pots during the Aavaahanam. One Scholar mentioned that it could perhaps refer to the episode in Chapter 5 of Durgasapthasathi, where Devi Parvathi appeared on hearing the appeal for assistance by Devas tormented by Sumbha and Nisumbha. Out of Parvathi's body another Devi emerged. She was named Kousiki. The original form of Parvathi became Krishna (dark complexioned ). She became known as Kaalika. This according to him came to be known as Karumaari Amman.
Some saie it was Renuka Devi.I have not been able to get correct information as the priests on duty were too busy and I too did not have time to pursue this enquiry during my short visits. I hop to get correct information as soon as possible.
A stone pillar in the outer portico of the ancient temple of Vedapureeswara nearby, has a carving of Devi Karumaari Amman on it, indicating that there is a link between that temple and the Karumaari Amman Temple, which has come to prominence comparatively recently. No wonder that Mahaaperiyavaal could divine it and arrange for the development of Devi Karumaari amman temple.
Devi has saved me and my family always and helped us to overcome our difficulties, however tough or serious the crises might be.
Even as recently as in April 2015, we had a difficulty in our family. I prayed to Devi and vowed to have a Navakalasa abhishekam performed if we could get over the problem. By Here Grace, the problem was solved. very soon. I fulfilled my vow on 10th June 2018.
Just two more points. I do not know exactly in what context Devi took the avatharam as Karumaari Amman. At the Navakalasa Abhishekam, Nine avatharas of Devi are installed in nine pots during the Aavaahanam. One Scholar mentioned that it could perhaps refer to the episode in Chapter 5 of Durgasapthasathi, where Devi Parvathi appeared on hearing the appeal for assistance by Devas tormented by Sumbha and Nisumbha. Out of Parvathi's body another Devi emerged. She was named Kousiki. The original form of Parvathi became Krishna (dark complexioned ). She became known as Kaalika. This according to him came to be known as Karumaari Amman.
Some saie it was Renuka Devi.I have not been able to get correct information as the priests on duty were too busy and I too did not have time to pursue this enquiry during my short visits. I hop to get correct information as soon as possible.
A stone pillar in the outer portico of the ancient temple of Vedapureeswara nearby, has a carving of Devi Karumaari Amman on it, indicating that there is a link between that temple and the Karumaari Amman Temple, which has come to prominence comparatively recently. No wonder that Mahaaperiyavaal could divine it and arrange for the development of Devi Karumaari amman temple.
Devi has saved me and my family always and helped us to overcome our difficulties, however tough or serious the crises might be.
I have narrated only a few episodes. They are countless. My
faith in Devi has been and will always be firm andS fully Justified. GLORY BE TO HER!!!