01Where the Vedas were taught
Othu means recitation, the chanting of the Veda. The temple’s katha says Shiva taught the meaning of the Vedas to the devas and rishis on this bank, so the Lord is Vedapureeswarar and the place Tiruvothur. The Devi is Balakujambikai, called Ilamulai Nayaki in Tamil. The town grew round the temple and is now Cheyyar, after the river that runs below it.
02The palm trees
Sekkizhar tells that a devotee of Tiruvothur had planted palms to serve the temple, and every one of them came up male and barren. Those who opposed the Shaiva path mocked him: let your god make them bear fruit. Sambandar came, heard the story and sang his padigam on Tiruvothur, which closes each verse with the plea that the palms bear fruit, and the trees bore fruit. The hymn is in the Tevaram. The palm is the temple’s sthala vriksha, and a carving inside shows Sambandar standing with folded hands before the linga with a palm beside it.
In Cheyyar town, about 30 km south of Kanchipuram.
