About Temple
Located just 500 meters from Uppiliappan temple, this temple for Sri Maha Prathyangira Devi is situated in a small village called Ayyavadi, around 6 km from Kumbakonam.
History
Legend has it that the five Pandavas visited this village, kept their weapons under a tree, worshipped Sri Maha Prathyangira Devi, and roamed the forest during their journey. It is believed that the place was originally called Aivar Padi, which was later changed to Ayyavadi, as the five Pandavas worshipped here.
The demon king Hiranyakasipu, the father of Prahalada, was killed by Lord Vishnu by taking the Narasimha Avatar. Although Narasimha was furiously fought with so much power to kill the king, his anger and fierceness never waned. Due to his hyperactivity, Narasimha was unable to distinguish between good and bad people and started disturbing everyone. People prayed to Lord Shiva for help.
With lion-faced and eagle-winged Sarabeswara, Lord Shiva took a new, more powerful form of Avatar. Lord Shiva was accompanied by Shakthi in the form of Sri Mahaprathyangira Devi sitting on the wings of Sri Sarabeswara. As a result, Sri Mahaprathyangira Devi and Sri Sarabeswara are known for being more powerful than any other powers. Sarabeswara subsided Narasimha’s anger to bring back peace to the world.
One can remove all evil forces and unresolvable problems from their life by worshipping Sri Maha Prathyangira Devi. The Goddess is worshipped in this temple every Full and No Moon Day with large amounts of Red Chillies. Sri Maha Prathyangira Devi is an important Shakthi Goddess. For worshipping Sri Maha Prathyangira Devi, a Gayatri Mantra is also used.
