SATTUR: Yama — the God of Death, the most feared of all Hindu Gods — has shrines dedicated to Him in a few temples in the State. But here is a village in Virudhunagar district where He rules the roost as the presiding deity. Elayirampannai has been worshipping Yama as the guardian deity for centuries.
Situated nearly 19 km from Sattur taluk, the residents of the village had constructed a temple — Sri Yamaraj Temple, for Lord Yama. Some of them worship Him as their ancestral deity. Yama here is seated on a buffalo, His vahana (vehicle), which is also found in front of the shrine unlike in Shiva temples, where a nandhi (bull) is seen.
Pitchaipandi, a resident, says the people here have been worshipping Yama for more than 300 years now. Initially, there was only an idol of Yama and the temple came up later.
Narrating an anecdote told to him by his father, Pitchaipandi says, “There are five wells around the Yamaraj temple. About 50 years ago, a person went to take bath in the nearly 35-foot well near the temple. When he reached the top of the well while climbing up, he slipped and fell down. Though the water-level in the well was only one foot, he escaped even without a scratch because he screamed, ‘Yama save me’. The people of the village strongly believe it was Yama who saved him.”
Special poojas are performed for the deity during Maha Shivratiri in the Tamil month of Masi. The natives of the village would descend on the temple from far and near to offer prayers during the festival. “During Maha Shivratiri, poojas would begin around 10 pm and abhishekams would be performed for the deity with milk, curd, rose water and tender coconut water,” says priest Mariappan.
Ramasamy (73), another resident, says Yama here is powerful and their prayers would be answered if people worship Him with belief. There is also the practice of naming their male children Yamaraj. Commenting on the Yama worship, A Sivasubramanian, a veteran folk artiste, says, “Usually, those who had committed suicide or murdered are worshipped as ancestral deities both by their progenies and the descendants of those responsible for their death. The family worships the deceased out of respect, while the family of the accused worship out of fear.”