Famous Temples in India

Religious Significance

Cholavandan : There is a popular local myth, that a war between Chola and the Pandya kingdoms, resulted in the name. The invading Chola king, apparently got a sense of reverence and awe, seeing the intensive agriculture and scenic beauty of the village, irrigated by the Vaigai river; which reminded him of the Cauvery Delta region. He abandoned the war. The town was then named as Cholavandan (Cholan+Uvandan). Uvandan means getting awed, in Tamil. The place reminded him agriculturally prosperous famous Tanjore villages: and called this town as Chinna Thanjai.

Renukadevi : The story of the temple is closely associated with Renukadevi, wife of Sage Jamadagni. She delayed fetching water for the pujas of her sage husband, as she stood wondering the handsomeness of a Gandharva reflected in the river water. Knowing this through his wisdom eye, the sage suspected her fidelity and asked his son Parasurama to chop off her head. Son did it and brought the head to his sage father. Pleased with his obedience, the sage asked Parasurama his wish. The son wanted his mother back alive. Jamadagni chanted some mantras in the water, asked the son to spill the same after fixing the head in the body. In his haste, Parasurama fixed his mother’s head with a wrong body and gave it life.The wrong body became a demon woman with all fury. Softening the fury of the demon woman, she became the goddess of the village praised as Chandana Mari blessing the devotees in her standing posture.