Jyodhit Lingam Kusmeswarer

Daritriya dukka-haranam Ravichandra-lekshnam |
Mrtyunjayam Loka-natham Jyothir-Swaroopam Chinthayamyaham ||

                  

 Siva-puranam says this place is the house of the famous temple of Lord Siva known as Kusmeswar which is one of the twelve Jyothirlinga kshetrams.

The legend is : There was a Brahmin couple living at the foot of the mountain Devagiri. They were saivates and ardent devotees of Lord Siva.The husband's name was Sudhaman and the wife's name was Sudegai. They were a sad couple because they had no children. Years passed. The wife told her husband that he should marry another girl from a good family to have a progeny. Sudhaman refused. But Sudegai insisted on him. Atlast reluctantly he agreed to marry a second time.

Sudegai was very happy and she arranged her brother's daughter called Kusumai as the bride. Sudhaman married Kusumai and taught her Siva Pooja. Kusumai followed her husband's advice. She brought a pot of mud and made one hundred and eight lingams and did pooja to the lingams. She would keep them in a certain position in a pond after her pooja was finished. This was one of her every day routine. In due course the number of lingams she made and did puja to reached one lac.

Later she conceived and gave birth to a male child named Supriyan. Sudaman was delighted.

The boy grew up and married a girl chosen by his parents. All were very happy in that house except Sudegai, the first wife of Sudaman who felt she might be ignored by her husband. Kusumai came to know of her husband's first wife's worries and consoled her. She asked her to be cheerful. But Sudegai became very jealous of her husband's second wife. She killed the son Supriyan, cut him into pieces and threw them into the pond in which Kusumai usually put the lingams after her pooja.
The next day Kusumai's daughter-in law was alarmed that her husband was not to be found but there was blood and flesh all over her bedroom. .She was very upset. Kusumai and Sudaman were doing siva pooja at that time. When they came to know about this and they told their daughter-in-law "Dear don't be sad. Lord Shiva gave us the child and he will never let us down. Come and join with us to do prayer to the lord. He will give his blessings to you. " All Prayed to Maheswara.
By the grace of the lord Supapriyan came alive and called his mother and said "Amma because of your pooja and the grace of lord I am alive." Hearing this Kusumai was very happy and she went and hugged him.

At that moment there was a loud noise and they all turned in the direction of the sound. They saw Lord Siva in "jyothi-swaroopam" with the brilliance of a million suns.
The lord said "my devotee kusumai your husband's first wife cut your son into pieces and threw them into this pond but I saved him. I never let down my devotees. I am going to punish her because she did harm to you." But Kusumai requested "Lord do not punish her. She is my aunt apart from being my husband's first wife. kindly pardon her. My humble request is you should be here for ever to give your blessings to all yourdevotees."
Accordingly the Lord made the pond itself into a temple and incarnated there as "Kusmeswara" in Jyothir Lingam radiating his grace.

Om Hreem NamaSivaya                  Home