Evening session at a legendary heritage site.

Friday, 5th June 2015 @ Lord Karamadai Ranganathar Temple premises:

Karamadai, near Mettupalayam ( enroute Nilgiris) earns its name from days gone by, when there was abundance of Kaarai trees and Kaarai breed Cows (Kaaram Pasu) in the area. A herdsmen who had such cattle, found one of them going dry in milch output in spite of being fed well. He began to observe the cow and found out that it had been shedding its milk into a specific spot in the Kaarai bush. He became furious and struck at the bush with an axe. Loud noise ensued with a splutter of blood from the bush. In the process he lost his eyesight. People in neighbourhood rushed to the spot and found a Swayambu inside the bush which they propitiated with reverence. Herdsman’s eye sight got restored. The scar of the axe appears on the top portion of the Swayambu even to this day. In later years, Thirumalai Nayaka, the King of Madurai also was cured of a terrible disease. The present temple was built by him and dedicated to Lord Ranganatha five centuries back.

The Karamadai Kainkaryam

The Karamadai  devotees  heard with rapt attention not only the vibrant bhajans but also a brief  talk on  the subject of kainkaryam to the Divine at three levels - physical, manasika and  vachaka. It was followed by the  rendition of the ever popular  Ranga Ranga  and meditation. When the audience was visualising Him in their hearts, the utsav murthis made their appearance  alongside the mandap  area itself!