Marudandhan was the son Sage Suholar. His wife was of doubtful character. So the Sage divorced her. After the divorce, the woman practised sinful profession.
Marudandhan grew into a youth and earned the friendship of the prince who was after women. Mardandhan also developed this habit. They visited the house of a woman who was older than them. The woman had her doubts about Mardandhan on seeing him. Yet they enjoyed the day. The woman became sure that it was her alone who shared the bed with her. On knowing the truth, Marudandhan felt a stinging pain in him and cried loudly for having committed a sin of highest magnitude.
Frustrated, he went to the forest and sat in meditation and vowed that that he would not take a grain of food till he had the darshan of God. God appeared before the boy who committed the sin unknowingly.
Lord Shiva told the boy that every youth should consider women as his mother and that He staged this cruel play to teach this lesson to the world. The Lord also said that such sins may become common during Kaliyuga. His intention was to correct them. Lord Shiva excused the boy.
When Marudandhan insisted a way to repent for the sin, the Lord asked him to build a temple for total washing off of the sin. The boy laboured hard and built this temple. Mother Sundara Kanchani consoled the boy. |