Mambarai Muniyappan Swamy Temple- Dindugul

Address

Mambarai town, Oddanchathiram taluk

Dindigul District

Tamilnadu- 624712.

Moolavar

Muniyappan Swamy

Introduction

Muniyappan Temple is located in the village of Mambarai in the Ottanchathiram Circle of Dindigul District. This is a special place of worship for men only. It is customary for male devotees to worship at the temple, cook non-vegetarian food, prepare it for Muniyappan Swami and then leave the cooked food there. If there is food or curry left over they will not take it home. They dig a pit and bury it there. This temple is situated near Markampatti village which is about 20 km from Ottan Chathiram of Dindigul district.

Puranic Significance

The Temple is believed to be 1000 years old. In the days when Pandavas were living in the forest for 12 years, there was a great sage called Saindhava who was doing Thapas below a mango tree. It seems, every 12 years once this tree yielded a miraculous mango. It was believed by eating this mango all powers can become ours. Sage Saindhava was waiting for the mango fruit. Once Pandavas with Panchali came near mango tree. It seems Panchali wanted to eat that mango. Immediately Arjuna sends an arrow to cut the mango. As soon as the mango came down by 6 feet, Lord Krishna came there and held it in the sky. He told Pandavas that if the Mango falls to the Ground sage Saindhava would curse them. He then requested each of the Pandavas as well as Panchali to tell their inner most beliefs. As and when one person told his innermost belief, the mango rose by one foot. When all of them completed it got attached to the tree. Pandavas went away but Lord Krishna remained there in the form of a cowherd boy. Then the sage opened his eyes and thought that the boy before him was stealing the mango and started chasing him.

Lord Krishna ran up the hill and jumped in to a pit at the top of the hill. Sage Saindhava tried to catch him but was able to only catch the last part of the hair of the boy. Using his divine vision the sage could find out all that happened. He decided to stay there and continue to do Thapas. He slowly became a stone which is now being called Rishi. To protect him from wild animals Muniyappan sat near the stone. A temple was later built for the Rishi. Muniyappan still guards the Rishi’s temple. The local villagers started worshipping the Rishi as well as Muniyappan. There is no roof for Muniyappan temple. It seems he has not given permission to build one. The rishi’s temple has a very low roof. People have to bend to see him. Since Panchali was the reason for the initial problem, even today, women do not enter the temple. On the hill top where Lord Krishna jumped in to the pit there is a temple for Lord Krishna.
Sheep and cocks are sacrificed to please Muniyappan, Even the cooking of their meat is done by men. There is a custom of bursting crackers at the Muniyappn temple as a form of worship.
There are no festivals in this temple. People believe that if they come to these temples and tell their problems, they will be solved. If they believe that their problems are due to evil magic or witches, they keep a black thread on the lap of the Rishi and later tie it in their hand. It is believed that all of them get rid of their problems. Whenever any person buys a new vehicle, he brings it for worship to the Muniyappan temple.
There is also practice of writing their problems in paper and tying it on the guarding fence of Muniyappan temple.

Beliefs

Devotees, who have not been able to repay the loan for a long time, write a prayer note on it and hang it on the fence of the temple. Devotees are hopeful that the loan will be repaid soon. Similarly, when the loan amount is recovered, the Goat is cut off and the loan is repaid. Devotees throng during the months of Tai, Masi and Adi.

It is said that the water has not dried up since its inception. It is believed that mixing the water with fresh water will cure the ailments.