statue and wall paintings of thanjavur maratha maharajah serfoji 1 in tirukkadaiyur Abirami temple.
Tirukkadaiyur has one of elegant Brahmin quarters near the temple called as agraharams established by the Maratha ruler Serfoji I,a great admirer of Brahmin poets and bards, in the early part of the 18th century.
One day, Raja Serfoji 1 (1712-1728 A.D), the Maratha Raja of Thanjavur who ruled over the land, visited the temple to pay homage to Lord Shiva. On noticing the peculiar behavior of Subramaniya Iyer who was a temple priest, he inquired the other priests about the individual. One of them remarked that he was a madman while another rejected this categorization explaining to the king that Subramaniya Iyer was only an ardent devotee of Goddess Abhirami. Seeking to know the truth himself, Serfoji approached the priest and asked him what day of the month it was i.e. whether it was a full-moon day or a new-moon day. Subramaniya Iyer answered mistakenly that it was a Pournami (full moon day) who could see nothing else but the shining luminant form of the Goddess. While in reality, the night was an Amavasya (new-moon day). The king rode off informing the former that he would have his head cut off, if the moon did not appear on the sky by six in the night.
Immediately realizing his mistake, Subramaniya Iyer supposedly lit a huge fire and erected a platform over it supported by a hundred ropes. He sat upon the platform and prayed to the Goddess Abhirami to save him. He cut off one rope after another in succession on completion of each verse of his prayer. These hymns form the Abhirami Anthadhi. On verge of completing the 79th hymn,the Goddess Abhirami manifested herself before him and threw her thadanga (diamond earring ornament), over the sky such that it shined with bright light upon the horizon. Overcome with ecstasy, Subramaniya Iyer composed 22 more verses in praise of the Goddess.
The king repented his mistake and immediately cancelled the punishment he had awarded Subramaniya Iyer. He also bestowed upon the latter the title of "Abirami Pattar" or "One who worships Goddess Abhirami or The Priest of Goddess Abhirami" and supposedly awarded his successors the privilege of using the title "Bharathi".
Maharajah Serfoji 2 memorial hall museum, sadar mahal palace Thanjavur
Tirukkadaiyur has one of elegant Brahmin quarters near the temple called as agraharams established by the Maratha ruler Serfoji I,a great admirer of Brahmin poets and bards, in the early part of the 18th century.
One day, Raja Serfoji 1 (1712-1728 A.D), the Maratha Raja of Thanjavur who ruled over the land, visited the temple to pay homage to Lord Shiva. On noticing the peculiar behavior of Subramaniya Iyer who was a temple priest, he inquired the other priests about the individual. One of them remarked that he was a madman while another rejected this categorization explaining to the king that Subramaniya Iyer was only an ardent devotee of Goddess Abhirami. Seeking to know the truth himself, Serfoji approached the priest and asked him what day of the month it was i.e. whether it was a full-moon day or a new-moon day. Subramaniya Iyer answered mistakenly that it was a Pournami (full moon day) who could see nothing else but the shining luminant form of the Goddess. While in reality, the night was an Amavasya (new-moon day). The king rode off informing the former that he would have his head cut off, if the moon did not appear on the sky by six in the night.
Immediately realizing his mistake, Subramaniya Iyer supposedly lit a huge fire and erected a platform over it supported by a hundred ropes. He sat upon the platform and prayed to the Goddess Abhirami to save him. He cut off one rope after another in succession on completion of each verse of his prayer. These hymns form the Abhirami Anthadhi. On verge of completing the 79th hymn,the Goddess Abhirami manifested herself before him and threw her thadanga (diamond earring ornament), over the sky such that it shined with bright light upon the horizon. Overcome with ecstasy, Subramaniya Iyer composed 22 more verses in praise of the Goddess.
The king repented his mistake and immediately cancelled the punishment he had awarded Subramaniya Iyer. He also bestowed upon the latter the title of "Abirami Pattar" or "One who worships Goddess Abhirami or The Priest of Goddess Abhirami" and supposedly awarded his successors the privilege of using the title "Bharathi".
Maharajah Serfoji 2 memorial hall museum, sadar mahal palace Thanjavur
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