Bannari Amman Temple - Sathyamangalam | Bannari Mariamman
Bannari Amman temple in Sathyamangalam forest range is one of the most famous Goddess temples in Tamilnadu located in Erode - Mysore national highway. People of the past had witnessed the wonderful sight of tigers and cows quenching their thirst at the same spot with unknown facts. Cowherds used to drive the cattle to the fields for grazing and they were driven back to their places at dusk. Milking from the cow and its business remained to be the sole occupation of the people here. It was one day, a particular cow did not allow the cowherd to get milk, nor did it allow its calf to go near it. The cowherd did not take this issue seriously and let it be.
Like every day, he allowed the cows to graze and had an eye on them. To his surprise, that cow went alone near a tree and stood beneath it. He noticed that the milk began to flow from its udder automatically. The news spread like wildfire to the nearby villages. Next day, they were all present on the spot to witness the wonder. They found the cow repeating the same behavior. Milk oozed out of the teats of its udder on the particular spot amidst the grass. They removed the thickly grown grass and shrubs there and, to their surprise, they found a sandhill and a goddess deity near it. It is in the myth that Lingam is a special of divinity and so they felt that the spot beneath the Vengai tree should have a celestial significance. They prayed to the Lingam and one among the devotees present got into a trance.
According to his words, it was understood that the deity safeguarded the traders from Tamil Nadu who passed by that way to Mysore to sell their goods carried by cows on their back. The deity was considered as a boon to them and they decided to worship then after. Moreover, she wanted a temple to be constructed and wished to call her in the name of ‘Bannari Mariamman’. This is how the story unfolds about the evolution of this temple. The above history has been described by a set of paintings on the temple wall. The temple is facing south and it is surrounded by thick forests with verdant vegetation on all sides adding more charm to the abode. It is easy for the tourists to come across elephants, wild pigs, bears, deer, hares, and monkeys here.