The Irumbai Legend
I recently completed a long cherised dream. Today, I can claim to have set foot on all geographic corners of India. Delhi in the North, Mumbai in the West, Kolkata in the East, Chennai in the South and Nagpur in the Centre. Interestingly, it took a staggering 20 years to achieve this seemingly easy objective. Nagpur was first off the block, when I was a toddler. Next was Kolkata when I was in 7th standard. Mumbai followed in my engineering 2nd year. I conquered Delhi when I was 22. Finally, Chennai happened just a few days back!
To celebrate this achievement, I thought of sharing one very interesting legend that I came across while on a visit to Auroville at Pondicherry. Its called the Irumbai Legend.
The people who live in the villages around Auroville have shown warmth and hospitality in welcoming people of different races, cultures and countries to their area. The ancient legend of Kaduveli Siddha, a famous yogi, can perhaps explain partly why the villagers have shown such grace.
The story of Kaduveli Siddha begins some 500 years ago in Irumbai, a small village on the edge of Auroville. According to the legend, the yogi was performing harsh penance sitting under a peepal tree. The heat of his body was so intense that the rain gods suffered and the villagers were exposed to hardships and drought, yet nobody dared disturb him. Thus sitting undisturbed, an anthill began to form around him. Valli, the temple dancer and devotee of Lord Shiva, decided to do her best to rescue the local King and his people from the adverse effects of the yogi's penance. Observing that Siddha would put out his hands to catch and consume the falling peepal leaves, she prepared some thinly fired food which she started placing in his hands. Soon he began eating and slowly grew fatter until finally the anthill broke and he was once more exposed to the rays of the sun. The god of rain was relieved from the torture he felt from the heat of the yogi's penance and the rain fell in plenty. The people were happy once again
In order to celebrate this event, the King ordered a large Puja to be held at Irumbai's temple. The Puja was followed by a classical performance in which Valli would act out the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. During her performance, however, one of her anklets fell off causing her to lose her balance and rhythm. Kaduvelli Siddha, who saw Lord Shiva in Valli, picked up the anklet and put it back on her feet. This act exposed him to the ridicule of the King and the court for having touched the feet of a dancing girl and he was heckled. Furious, he invoked Lord Shiva to come out of his temple and prove his righteousness by causing a rain of stone. Immediately, the lingam in the temple’s sanctum sanctorum exploded, and wherever its fragments fell became desert. The King, frightened, begged the pardon of the yogi and pleaded with him to end the curse. This appeased Kaduvelli Siddha, who said that what was done could not be undone, but that in the future, people from far off lands would come and make the desert land green and fertile again.
Today there are villagers who feel that the Aurovilians are the people from far-off lands mentioned by the yogi and the curse is now being lifted.
To celebrate this achievement, I thought of sharing one very interesting legend that I came across while on a visit to Auroville at Pondicherry. Its called the Irumbai Legend.
The people who live in the villages around Auroville have shown warmth and hospitality in welcoming people of different races, cultures and countries to their area. The ancient legend of Kaduveli Siddha, a famous yogi, can perhaps explain partly why the villagers have shown such grace.
The story of Kaduveli Siddha begins some 500 years ago in Irumbai, a small village on the edge of Auroville. According to the legend, the yogi was performing harsh penance sitting under a peepal tree. The heat of his body was so intense that the rain gods suffered and the villagers were exposed to hardships and drought, yet nobody dared disturb him. Thus sitting undisturbed, an anthill began to form around him. Valli, the temple dancer and devotee of Lord Shiva, decided to do her best to rescue the local King and his people from the adverse effects of the yogi's penance. Observing that Siddha would put out his hands to catch and consume the falling peepal leaves, she prepared some thinly fired food which she started placing in his hands. Soon he began eating and slowly grew fatter until finally the anthill broke and he was once more exposed to the rays of the sun. The god of rain was relieved from the torture he felt from the heat of the yogi's penance and the rain fell in plenty. The people were happy once again
In order to celebrate this event, the King ordered a large Puja to be held at Irumbai's temple. The Puja was followed by a classical performance in which Valli would act out the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. During her performance, however, one of her anklets fell off causing her to lose her balance and rhythm. Kaduvelli Siddha, who saw Lord Shiva in Valli, picked up the anklet and put it back on her feet. This act exposed him to the ridicule of the King and the court for having touched the feet of a dancing girl and he was heckled. Furious, he invoked Lord Shiva to come out of his temple and prove his righteousness by causing a rain of stone. Immediately, the lingam in the temple’s sanctum sanctorum exploded, and wherever its fragments fell became desert. The King, frightened, begged the pardon of the yogi and pleaded with him to end the curse. This appeased Kaduvelli Siddha, who said that what was done could not be undone, but that in the future, people from far off lands would come and make the desert land green and fertile again.
Today there are villagers who feel that the Aurovilians are the people from far-off lands mentioned by the yogi and the curse is now being lifted.