Devotees take a holy bath

Hundreds of devotees from various parts of the State and from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh congregated at Thiruvisanallur village near Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district on Tuesday to take bath in the sacred waters from a well in which legend says Ganges springs on the Karthikai Amavasya day.

The sacred well is situated in the ancestral house of saint and scholar Sridhara Ayyaval who lived around 300 years ago. It is said that Sridhara Ayyaval had dared the traditionalists in his period by feeding the downtrodden on the day of his father's death anniversary ahead of other rituals thereby infuriating the pundits who directed that Ayyaval must take bath in River Ganges before he could undertake the rituals again as a mark of repentance.

But Sridhara Ayyaval who believed that he had done nothing wrong in offering food to those who were hungry prayed to Lord Shiva and Goddess Ganges.

The Gods heeded his prayers and created a fountain in the well in his house on Kathikai Amavasya day that fell on Tuesday this year.

To commemorate the event and to revere the memory of the great saint and scholar, thousands of devotees take bath in the waters from the sacred well believing that Ganges came forth in the well on the appointed day to wash their sins.

First, the devotees take bath in the River Cauvery that flows near Thiruvisanallur village and then arrive at the Sridhara Ayyaval house where arrangements were made to bale out and pour the sacred waters on the devotees. Special poojas were performed to Ayyaval on the occasion and annadhanam was offered to the devotees.