Aavani Moola festival of #Madurai
#meenakshi Amman #Temple -dedicated to Sundareswarar (Shiva)&his Thiru vilayadals (Miracles) #Thread

8th day of this festival -Moola
Nakshatra in Tamil month Aavani -Nariyai Pariyaakkiya (Turing Fox
to Horse)Leelai-to save Manickavasagar
1/n

- previous yrs event.This year it is cancelled due to COVID-19

#threadstorytime -This thiru vilavadal of Shiva -related to Athmanatha Swamy #temple, Avudaiyarkoil
Manickavasagar(Vadhavooran) minister of King Arimarthana Pandiyan of Madurai was given money to buy horses
2/n

Vadhavooran went to buy,but on the way Shiva came in the form of Dakshinamoorthy -preached Upanishads &Vedas.Afterwards he spent his whole time in chanting Mantras& devotional songs about Shiva & forgot to buy horses.King was waiting for horses,but no news about Vadhavooran
3/n

Shiva blessed him with name Manickavasagar.King asked his soldiers to find Vadhavooran &
get him to Madurai.Then only Manickavasagar remembered about it , immediately he surrendered to Shiva.God never ignores his devotees.

4/n

Shiva as Guru blesses Manickavasagar and tells him
"Go back to your king & tell him that horses will arrive on Avani (Tamil month) Aug/sep Moolam(star) day".
King doesnt believe his words so jails him & waits for arrival of horse.Sundareswarar convert the foxes into horses.

5/n

Shiva turns his Ganas as horsemans & foxes that are coverted to horses are brought to #Madurai - King's palace to protect his devotee Manickavasagar.

Shiva as KuduraiSwamy - Atmanatha Swamy #Temple, Avudaiyarkoil
6/n

At night,horses got converted to Foxes &they run away to forest.
King was told abt these &he was furious.He thought Vadhavooran was practising some black magic & ordered him to be arrested. Later,King ordered Manikavasagar to stand in the hot dried river bed of Vaigai.
7/n

Shiva caused flood in River Vagai to save his devotee.The whole #Madurai town was getting flooded due to non stop rain.The ministers & told the king that this calamity was due to of his ill-treatment of Manickavasagar. King prostrated & requested him to stop flood.
8/n

Manickavasagar prayed near the river bank,the flood subsided. Shiva was ready with his next Thiru vilayadal- to teach a lesson to the king....

Will post a separate thread tmrw abt next thiruvilayadal- 9th day of Aavani Moola Festival...

All photos used this thread- credit to respective owners.

Source text - based on madurai meenakshi temple for u - blog

Aavani Moola festival - Madurai
8th day Thiru vilayadal - #threadstory
Miracle of Shiva - converting foxes to horses n back to foxes

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