History / Story of the Festival
The provenance of this festival is explained by a mythological story. In the Satya Yuga, there was a sage named Nandi Maharishi belonging to the Solar clan. He performed penance under a banyan tree for a very long time and because of that, an anthill formed around him. Pleased by his devotion, Lord Shiva appeared before him and granted him a boon of his choice.
The sage wished for some cows, so that he could perform daily worship by offering milk for ritualistic purification (Abhishekam) of Lord Shiva. He wanted to sprinkle cow urine, apply cow dung on the ground and draw sacred decorative art (Kolam). Shiva agreed and instructed him:
"Wear a rough cloth that provides protection from rain and harsh weather, tap the anthill once with the bamboo stick in your hand, and leave without looking back. I will send the cows behind you. You must not turn back until you have crossed seven rivers. If you do so, the cows will belong to you."
The sage followed the instructions, but as he was crossing the second river, out of curiosity, he turned to look at the magnificent sparkling cows that followed him. Immediately, the cows began running back toward the anthill. Desperate, the sage ran after them and managed to grab onto the horn of a green-colored cow. However, only the horn remained in his hand.
Disheartened, the sage returned. Seeing this, the banyan tree asked him, "What boon did you bring for me from Lord Shiva?" The sage replied, "You have received these green-colored horns as your boon." The banyan tree then made a request: "From now on, you and your descendants must use my branches to build ceremonial pavilions (pandals) for important occasions such as the Thai Pongal cattle race and weddings."
Following this tradition, the people of this community still continue to observe this practice. Based on this mythological story, the Thambiran Festival is conducted in this village.