Mandaikadu Bhagavathi Temple
Mandaikadu's Bhagavathi Amman Temple:
The Mandaikadu Bhagavathi Amman Temple is devoted to Goddess Shakthi. The temple is located near Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu. An anthill, which stands about 15 feet tall, is venerated here as the Goddess. People think that the anthill has five heads and grows on a daily basis.
According to legend, this temple was built in the same location where Adi Shankaracharya performed puja to a Sri Chakra. Sri Chakra has its own sanctum sanctorum as well. The Goddess' face is located at the top of the structure. The temple appears to be built in Kerala style.
In the past, Sri Sankaracharya performed the Srichakra Puja in Kerala. He did it on a regular basis with a few disciples. Sri Sankaracharya decided to spend a lengthy time at this location, which is how he obtained Samadhi. This was also the location of Srichakra.
Then, as time passed, an anthill began to grow in the same location. Over time, this structure became stronger and taller. Children started striking this anthill, but they were always harmed. This also became news and began to spread. The story reached Kerala's King, Marthanda Varma, who assessed the situation and chose to erect a temple there. This way, he protected both the anthill and the children.
People began performing pujas to this anthill, which they thought significant. This same location is now known as Mandaikadu Bhagavathy Devi Temple, and the anthill is conserved in Sabarimala.
After a few days, another occurrence occurred. At midnight, some outsiders approached the villagers. They knocked on some houses and asked for food because they were hungry. However, the villagers did not want any problems, therefore they were not welcoming. They then directed the strangers to the temple for nourishment.
The travelers then approached the temple and pleaded to the Goddess for food. A miracle occurred when they heard the Goddess' voice, which instructed them to take a bath and eat. They all took a bath and returned to the temple, where the Goddess fed them.
After satisfying their appetite, they all slept well in the temple. They also experienced a dream in which the Goddess smiled kindly at them. They then returned to their track, leaving all of their valuables as a sacrifice to the Goddess. The following night, the local monarch had a dream in which the Goddess instructed him to construct a temple for her using the tourists' money and possessions. As a result, the king built a temple to worship the goddess.