Pratyangira Devi Temple at Moratnadi in Villupuram district-Tamil Nadu and very close to Pondicherry. The term ‘Prati’ means reverse and Angiras means attacking.
Goddess Pratyangira is a lion-headed form of the divine mother, created to calm Lord Narasimha after he killed the demon, Hiranyakashipu.
Nadathur Janardhana Swamigal constructed the Prathiyangara Devi Temple. The goddess’s statue is 72 feet, she is depicted with a lion’s head, bulging eyes, a long necklace of skulls, and blue-coloured skin. In her right hand, she holds a Trishul (trident), and in her left hand, she holds a severed head. The temple also has a small underground shrine, about 4 feet below ground level, where poojas are performed. On the left side of the main temple, there is a shrine dedicated to Sarabeswarar, featuring a large idol of the deity.
Two sages, Pratyangi (some say Pratya) and Angirasa, meditated deeply on the divine mother, the Moola Shakthi (primordial energy). During their meditation, they had a vision of a powerful Goddess they had never seen before. She had lion faces and carried several divine weapons. Impressed by their devotion, the Goddess appeared before them and blessed them. As a mark of their dedication, she granted them the boon of being named after them, thus becoming known as Pratyangira.
Narasimha, a fierce form of Lord Vishnu (half-man, half-lion), appeared to defeat the demon, Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu had been tormenting his son, Prahlada, a devoted follower of Lord Vishnu. After killing the demon, Narasimha became uncontrollably violent and bloodthirsty, as he had drunk the demon’s blood.
To calm Narasimha, the great sages prayed for help. They asked Lord Shiva to take a special form called Sarabha (a powerful bird-like creature capable of overpowering lions and elephants). Lord Shiva invoked the powers of the three goddesses – Parvati, Lakshmi, and Saraswati – and transformed into Sarabha Pakshi or Lord Sarabeshwarar. Sarabha’s two wings represented Shakti, with one wing being Shoolini and the other Pratyangira.
When Sarabeshwarar confronted Narasimha, it enraged him further. Narasimha transformed into an even fiercer form, Ashta Mukha Ganda Berunda Narasimha, with eight heads. Sarabeshwarar and Shoolini tried but failed to calm him. At this point, Pratyangira emerged from Sarabeshwarar’s wing, taking the form of a female Narasimha, she finally managed to subdue him.
Pratyangira’s form was immense and awe-inspiring. She was said to be 1000 times larger than Sarabeshwarar. Her head reached above the clouds and her feet stretched deep into the underworld. She had 1000 roaring lion faces, 2000 bloodshot eyes, 2000 arms wielding weapons and 1000 blood-stained tongues. This powerful form brought peace to Narasimha and restored balance.
Prathyangira Homa is performed every month on Shukla Paksha Ashtami (the Waxing Moon). Special poojas are performed every New Moon Day.
