The Goddess of revenge and justice

It is known as the temple of revenge and it is the only of its kind in India. There is also an idol of  the Goddess of Justice here. Thus this is the only temple where Goddesses of revenge and Justice co-exist.  

Situated in Anamalai in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, this temples attracts hundreds of devotes every day who want to take revenge on their detractors, tormentors and enemies.

The temple is dedicated to Masaniamma and it is located just 15 kms away from the temple town of Pollachi. It is located at the confluence of two streams-Aliyar and Uppar.

The Goddess is supposed to be so powerful that she answers the prayers of her bhaktas within three weeks. The name of the main deity is derived from “Mayana Sayani” ( one who sleeps in the graveyard).

The temple boasts of two more deities-an idol representing the Goddess of  Justice with the body of a serpent and another of Lord Maha Muniappa.
The sanctum sanctorum of the temple has a mammoth image of Goddess Masanaimma. The Goddess is reclining on her back and the idol measures fifteen feet on length. The idol is fully painted.

The Goddess has four arms. While two hands are placed o the ground, two others are raised. The hands hold a skull, snake, drum and a trident.

Tuesdays and Fridays are considered sacred to the Goddess and there is a mad rush of devotees on these days. Special poojas are held during Karthika Masa and on full moon day.

People believe that this Goddess would solve all their problems and protect them from all forms of evil. The devotees make a list of  all their needs, hopes and wishes on a piece of paper and hand it over to the priest.

The priest, in turn, places the paper near the trident of the Goddess. He then asks the author of the paper piece to pray. Legend has it that if you pray to the Goddess with faith, it will be fulfilled within three weeks.

There is another unique idol here and that is the Goddess of Justice. This Goddess is carved in stone with the body of a serpent.      

The temples is visited by traders and businessmen who have undergone losses, people who are persecuted by their enemies and those who want to take revenge on their tormentors.

The priest of the temple told me that ne that anyone who wants to seek the blessings of the Goddess has to follow the rituals that have been set out since ages.

They should take bath in the nearby lake, smear their body with Vibhuti or holy ash and grind red chillies on a stone grindstone. When the red chilli become a paste, it should be taken and smeared on the idol of the Goddess of Justice.

The Goddess of Justice is also called Nithi Kal.

Here too the belief in the power of the Goddess is so strong that people from all walks of life and every segment of society come and pray for health, wealth and peace of mind. When I went there, I counted businessmen who has suffered losses, people who had suffered from black magic, women harassed by their husbands and in-laws, people who had been persecuted or even employees who had been denied their rightful due by the management.
The priest told me an interesting legend about the Goddess he said when Rama passed through the forests here, he prayed at a graveyard near the temple.
He said the area around Anamalai was ruled by a king called Nana. The area then was Nannur.

The king was wicked and he never allowed his subjects to live n peace. The king had a big orchard near Aliyar where several mango trees had been planted.

One of the mango trees was huge and it gave a big mango fruit. The king was very particular about this mango and never allowed anyone but himself to eat it.     
One of the mangoes fell into the river when a group of young women were bathing. One of the women picked it up and ate it. The king who saw it beheaded her.

After some time, villagers of Anamalai found a statue of a girl lying on the sand in a graveyard. The statue resembled the beheaded girl. The villagers finally killed the king at Vijayamangalam and installed the statue in the temple.

The Goddess is believed to be highly benevolent to women devotes and she is said to solve all their problems, be it birth of a child or any health related issue.

This temple is famous for the fire walking ritual during the full moon day of the Tamil month Thai. The fire pit is more than 50 feet in length and devotes walk across it with loud prayers and mantras on their lips.  

The annual Kundam festival is a huge draw. Pollachi is easily accessible from Coimbatore. Coimbatore is well connected by rail, road and even flights with many cities.

Pollachi too has many temples.