01Pepper into gram
Payaru is green gram. A pepper merchant devoted to Shiva, the temple’s katha says, was carrying his sacks to the port when he came to a toll post; pepper paid duty, pulses did not. He prayed here that night, and in the morning his sacks held gram; past the post, they were pepper again, and he gave his profit to the temple. A Chola inscription here records something nearer to daily life: a man named Panchanatha Vanan had a grave eye disease, and his community bought land for six hundred kasu and gave it to the temple for his cure. People with eye trouble still bathe in the Karuna tirtham and pray to Nethrambikai. Veeramakali takes the place of Durga.
About 15 km from Tiruvarur via Surakkudi. Karthigai Mondays and Aadi Fridays bring special worship.
