Kumbakonam: At the Siva Temple in Thepperumanallur, large numbers of devotees witnessed a miracle of a Cobra doing Archana for Siva Lingam with Vilvam leaves. In Thanjavoor district of Tamil Nadu, near Thirunageswaram, there is a Siva Temple at Thepperumanallur. Here Vedhanthanayagi [Sakthi] with Viswanathaswamy [Siva] are the main Deities. In this Temple, it has been customary to do archana with Rudhraksha only.
Just before Solar Eclipse, at about 10:30 AM Sivachariar Satish, priest of the Temple, noticed a Cobra lying on top of the Siva Linga.The snake slowly descended from there and went towards the Vilvam tree which is the Sthala Viruksham- Holy tree of the temple. It climbed the tree and picked a Vilvam leaf and came back and entered the Sannadhi.
It hissed at any devotee trying to get near it. It climbed onto the Siva Linga and opened it's hood and dropped the Vilvam Leaf. This miracle was witnessed by all devotees. Then the Cobra went again and again to do the same repeated two or three times. As the news spread all over the village, hundreds of villagers rushed to the Temple to have the Dharshan of this event of Cobra with Siva.
[Note: Vilvam leaf (Bilva Leaf) is holy and special for Siva Pooja] News in Dinakaran - Dated: January 16, 2010. The Priest explained "It is doing the archana during the Solar Eclipse time to wash off its sins." The Naga Serpent has been regularly visiting the Siva Idol for the last three SOLAR ECLIPSES. The priest and some locals had arranged for a photographer a few months back during Sooriya Grahanam. In fact, they had kept milk offering also for the Naga. But the snake did not appear on the day. On this particular SOLAR ECLISE Grahanam day, when the priest opened the Sanctum Sanctorum he saw the snake on the top of the Siva Linga idol. He immediately called Mr. Thenappan the photographer who lives in Thrunagesvaram a kilo meter from this village. [Sent to VBV by Madeleine Heiss]
