01The Devi who fasts
The murti of Samayapurathal is made of sand and herbs, not stone, so the abhishekam is given to the utsava murti instead. Every year from the last Sunday of Masi (February–March) the Devi keeps the pachai pattini, a fast of 28 days, for the good of her people. Her naivedya is then only buttermilk, tender coconut and fruit. The fast opens with the Poochoridhal, when lorry-loads of flowers brought by devotees from all over Tamil Nadu are showered on her. Women carry pots of fire, children are weighed against grain, and those cured of pox bring silver eyes and limbs.
02From Kannanur to Samayapuram
The Devi’s first seat is held to be the Adi Mariamman shrine at Kannanur, about 3 km away, and the town was once called Kannapuram. Local accounts say the festival image was earlier worshipped by the Vijayanagara rulers and came here after their fall. The present temple was built in the early 18th century; sources name its builder as Vijayaraya Chakravarti, and some connect it to the Madurai Nayaka Vijayaranga Chokkanatha. The temple ranks among the richest in the state, after Palani.
The life of this place
- After 1565By local accounts the festival image comes to Samayapuram after the fall of Vijayanagara.
- Early 18th centuryThe present temple is built.
About 15 km north of Tiruchirappalli on the Chennai highway. Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays are crowded; the Chithirai car festival falls in April.
