Every temple especially the famous ones have some interesting or bizarre tale associated with them. Here is one such story of the Kethi Sthal or the Naganathaswami Temple located in Keezhaperumpallam, two kilometers away from Poompuhar in Tamil Nadu.
The presiding deity of this temple is Ketu, the shadow planet. But the main deity of the Temple is Lord Shiva, also known here as Naganathaswami.
Keezhaperupallam known to one of the nine Navagraha sthals is located on the Cauvery river delta region and is dedicated to Ketu. Devotees flock here to pacify the malefic effects of the Sarpa dosha, i.e. Serpent dosha and most importantly, to be rid of Rahu Dosha. To do so, they offer milk for Rudra Abhisheka to the Shiva linga.
The milk offered miraculously turns blue if the devotee suffers from Rahu Dosha for sure. This is Shiva’s way of acknowledging the Rahu Dosha. However, once the milk after being poured on Shiva linga, falls on the floor, it turns back to its original color.
According to legends, once Rahu was cursed by a sage and to seek relief from the curse, he fervently prayed to Lord Shiva along with his consorts. On the auspicious Shivratri, Lord Shiva appeared before Rahu and blessed him to overcome the sage’s curse. Therefore, in this temple, Rahu is depicted with his consorts. He is known to be the lord of the serpents and here, he has a human head.
Surprisingly, this temple was built when a Shiva linga was found under the Shenbaka trees. Therefore, the Shiva deity here is also known as the Shenbagarane Eswara.
