Tokens of thanks

The nearly 300yearold Azhagar Siddhar temple, dedicated to a miracleperforming stranger who turned up to stay at a village in today’s Cuddalore district in Tamil Nadu, receives dolls as offerings from devotees, supposedly after their prayers come true

At the crowded Azhagu Muthu Azhagar Siddhar temple in Thennampakkam village in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district, miniatures of various kinds — from cars, motorbikes, lorries, multistoreyed houses, to statuettes donning the uniforms of lawyers, soldiers, police officers, and doctors — are placed under the shade of large banyan trees and stone apple trees. Thousands of these “dolls”, which outnumber devotees in the temple at any given point, are a form of physical manifestation of people’s wishes, presented as votive offerings supposedly after their wishes come true.

Located around 20 kilometres from Puducherry, the temple is believed to be about 300 years old. Tracing the significance and folklore of the temple, Kumar, the seventhgeneration priest, says about four centuries back, Azhagar Swamy Siddhar, an old pious man, turned up at the village and stayed beneath a banyan tree. Villagers believed that his prayers and prasadam cured their ailments.

It is said that a couple who had been married for 15 years and wished to have a child offered prayers at the temple. The woman got pregnant in a few months. Appearing in her dream, the Siddhar asked the couple to leave a baby doll at the temple, says the priest. The tradition has been continuing ever since.

Over the past two decades, mud statuettes gave way to colourful cement ones made by idol makers at the temple for a fee. These days, politicians and film directors, too, come to pray for prosperous careers — evident from the dolls wearing dhotis with symbols of leading political parties in Tamil Nadu and idols with a director’s hat and a clapboard.

On Mondays, believed to be the day of the birth of Azhagar Siddhar, thousands of visitors throng the temple, of which Ayyanar is the main deity. The Tamil month of Chithirai, from midApril to midMay, is the busiest time, says the priest. Despite its religious and cultural significance, the temple is visibly undermaintained, with plastic litter strewn around. Visitors say some shade for the queues will help on hot summer days.

X With folded hands: The figurines left as votive offerings by devotees at Azhagu Muthu Ayyanar Temple at Thennampakkam in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu. Plastic litter around the temple needs a regular cleanup.

X Secret prayers: Wishes written by devotees on paper seen tied to the sword of Ayyanar at Azhagu Muthu Azhagar Siddhar Temple.

X Healing touch: Replicas of human legs offered by devotees as prayers for a cure for feetrelated diseases and pains.

X Material wishlist: Along with the dolls, devotees also offer replica houses and vehicles in tune with their prayers.