Palugandanathar Temple, Tiruvappadi

01Chandesa’s worship

The Periya Puranam tells of Vicharasarma of Seignalur, a Brahmin boy who saw a cowherd beat a cow and took over the herd himself. The cows flourished, and he began to shape lingas of sand under an aththi tree on the Manni bank and bathe them in the surplus milk. His father Echadattan, told the milk was being wasted, came, beat him, and kicked the linga. The boy, lost in worship, threw the staff at the offender; it became an axe and cut his father’s leg, and he went on with the puja. Shiva appeared, embraced him as his own son, gave him the garland from his own hair, and made him Chandesa, steward of all that is offered to the Lord. The fourth verse of Appar’s padigam on Tiruvappadi tells this. Palugandanathar is he who delighted in milk.

02Two Chandesas

Besides the usual Chandesa on the north side, the temple has a second in the ardha mandapa, seated under a fig tree worshipping a linga, and in the south-west corner a linga under the sthala vriksham marks where he worshipped. A second katha tells of a shepherd who kept stumbling at one spot and spilling his milk; he struck the ground with his sickle, blood flowed, and the Lord was found there bearing the mark. On Mahashivaratri and the Amavasai of Masi, when Shiva is said to have appeared on the bull before Chandesa, thousands come from Kumbakonam, Aduthurai and Papanasam for the abhishekam.