Thiruchendur Murugan Temple

• Thiruchendur Murugan temple is known as the second Arupadai Veedu of Lord Muruga. Lord Muruga won the battle with the asura, Surapadma and worshipped Lord Shiva in this sacred place. The temple is situated along the shores of the Bay of Bengal.Thiruchendur Temple Tiruchendur Temple Thiruchendur Temple Tiruchendur Temple Thiruchendur Temple
  Normally, the Raja Gopuram will be in the eastern side of temples in Tamil Nadu. But in Thiruchendur alone the Raja Gopuram is in the western side. It is said that the Raja Gopuram was not erected on the eastern side since the sea is very close in the eastern side.Thiruchendur Murugan temple Tiruchendur Murugan temple Thiruchendur Murugan temple Tiruchendur Murugan temple
  Mela Gopuram has nine storeys and it is about 137 feet high above Yalimattam, 90 feet long north to south and 65 feet broad east to west. At the top of the Gopuram the width is 20 feet and the length is 49 feet. To indicate that the Gopuram consists of 9 storeys there are nine Kalasams (sacred copper pots) at the top of the Gopuram.MAn asura by name Surapadma was ruling Veera Mahendrapuri, an island fortress. He performed many austerities invoking Lord Shiva and the Lord granted him many boons. Later, the asura became arrogant and captured all the three worlds—the heaven, earth and the hell. He made the Devas, the heavenly immortals to do menial task. The Devas were unable to bear his torture and complained to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva opened his third eye to create a son to kill Surapadma. Six sparks of fire emanated from the third eye. These divine sparks were received by River Ganges through Agni, the God of Fire and passed on to the Himalayan lake, Saravana Poigai. Here they were transformed into six babies. Saravanapoigai .Here they were transformed into six babies.
  These babies were suckled by the six Kirithika nymphs. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi Devi came to Saravana Poigai, and when Goddess Uma fondly clasped the babies they joined together to become Lord Arumuga with six faces and twelve arms. When child Arumuga grew up to become a young boy, Lord Shiva asked him to destroy Surapadma and free the Devas from their cruel bondage. Lord Muruga reached Tiruchendur with his huge army and camped. He sent his lieutenant, Veerabahu to the asuras as an emissary and asked Surapadma to release the Devas. Since Surapadma turned down the request, a war ensued.

  An intense battle was fought for a few days. During the first five days of the war, the brothers of Surapadma and all other asuras perished. On the sixth day, in the battle between Lord Muruga and Surapadma, the lance of Lord Muruga pierced the body of Surapadma, who got himself transformed into a frightful mango tree, and broke it into two. The broken pieces instantly transformed themselves into a mighty peacock and a cock. Lord Muruga took the peacock as his vahana or vehicle and the cock on his banner. This event is popularly known as Surasamharam, or the destruction of Surapadman. After Surasamharam, Lord Muruga desired to worship his father, Lord Shiva. Hence Mayan, the divine architect constructed this shrine at Tiruchendur. Even now Lord Subramaniyan is seen in the posture of worshiping Lord Shiva in the sanctum sanctorum.A familiar local tradition runs to the effect that about 1648 AD, a race of seafaring men, identified later as Dutch, descended upon Tiruchendur and carried away the idol Shanmukhar and Śiva Natarajar, thinking that they were made of gold. Their attempt at melting it proving futile, they tried to carry them away by sea. But the sea suddenly grew boisterous, and rocked the ship violently, so the sailors threw the idols into the sea.

  The loss of the idols was discovered and duly communicated to Vadamalaiyappa Pillaiyyan, the local administrator of the Nayakkan ruler at Tirunelveli. A great devotee that he was, Pillaiyyan was sorely affected and knew not what to do. He ordered for a similar idol to be made in panchaloka. As the duplicate one was ready, and was on its way to Tiruchendur to be installed, in 1653 Vadamalaiappa Pillaiyyan had a dream.

  Acting to the advice conveyed to him by the God, he put out to sea and following the instructions that the idol was to be found at the spot whereon a lime fruit would be found floating, and the place marked by the circling overhead of a kite, the bird of Vishnu.

  Vadamalaiappa Pillaiyyan recovered the original idol and reinstalled it in the temple in the year 1653. The replacement idol was then consecrated in the shrine of Tiruppirantîsvarar alias Venku Patcha Kovil situated east of Palamcottah (known as Murugan Kurichi).

  Vadamalaiappa was greatly struck by the Lord's grace in giving him this great relief, in memory of which he erected a mantapa at Tiruchendur in his name and endowed it largely for the performance of a Kattalai abhishekam and pujas for Subrahmaniam on the seventh days of Masi and Avani festivals. An inscription at the mantapa relates the incidents referred to.

  Among many others, kirtanas composed by Venri Malaik Kavirayar, are sung at this mantapa at the time when Shanmukhar is brought here for Ubaya Mandagappadi on the seventh day of the Masi and Avani festivals. The poem relates the incidents and their rejoicings at the Lord being got back again. "Vadamalai Venba" is another poetic panegyric on Vadamalaiappa Pillaiyyan.

  M. Rennel, the French author of A Description, Historical and Geographical, of India (published in Berlin, 1785), gives a picture of the temple, which, he says, he got from a soldier in the service of the Dutch Company. He relates an incident which offers a reasonable explanation of the Tiruchendur tradition. "In a descent made by the Dutch off the Coast in 1648," he says, "the Dutch halted in the temple and on leaving did their best to destroy it by fire and by a heavy bombardment. But they only partially succeeded and the tower defied all their efforts." Possibly the capture of the idol was one of their achievements.

  As a matter of fact M. Rennel calls the place Tutucutin, but from the picture and an accompanying sketch-map it is clear that Tiruchendur was meant. The Dutch were incessantly at war with the Portuguese on the coast.

  Vaikasi Visagam (May - June)

  A large number of devotees, numbering about two lakhs, participate in the festival. A procession of Sri Jayanthinathar with Valli and Deivanai is conducted in the night.

  Avani Festival (August - September)

  Devotees numbering about two lakh participate in this festival. On this Avani festival 7th, 8th and 10th day functions are more important.
  • 7th Sikappu sathi Festival.
  • 8th Pachai Sathi Festival.
  • 10th Car Festival (Big cars will not be available).

  Skanda Sasti Festival - 7 days (October - November)

  Devotees numbering about five lakhs will participate in the above festival. On this festival occasion, devotees fast for all six days. On the 6th day Surasamharam is demonstrated. On the 7th day Thirukkalyanam to Deivanai is celebrated in a grand manner.

  Masi Festival - 12 days (February - March)

  More than three lakh people participate in this festival.
  • 7th day Sikappu Sathi
  • 8th Pachai Sathi Festival
  • 10th Car Festival (Big cars will not be available)
  • 11th day Floating festival (yearly once)

  Vows and Offerings

  Devotees who take a vow place their offerings during festival and other days.

  They austerely fast and carry Kavadi, Palkudam, offer Abishegam etc. to the Lord. The Golden Chariot procession, Chandana Lebanam, Dharabhishegam, Dharahomam are performed by devotees in fulfillment of their vows.

  Devotees who perform such austerities get relieved of their mental worries; the unmarried get married; and the childless beget children by the grace of Arulmigu Subramania Swamy.Situated on the shores of the Bay of Bengal, the ancient temple of Thiruchendur is one of the six prime shrines in India where the Hindu god of war Murugan or Kartikeya is revered as the principal deity.

  Amongst the largest temple complexes in South India, it has a lofty entrance tower measuring up to 140 feet!

  The 2000-year-old Murugan temple is also amidst one of the few religious sites in the country to have been accredited with ISO certification and finds references in ancient texts like Purananuru, Silappadikaram, Tirumurugatrupadai, Adi Sankarar Sri Subramanya Bhujangam, Kanda Puranam, Tiruppukazh, etc.Even the manner in which the sanctum sanctorum’s residing deity has been modelled lays testimony to this myth with the idol chiselled in a worshipping posture. Like most ancient structures in India that come along with a string of seemingly unbelievable tales and miracles, the Thiruchendur temple too has its share of implausible events that make it a legend.

  One such story goes back all the way to the time when European conquests of Asian countries were in vogue. Ancient India was touted as a golden bird with its widespread trade network reaching as far as Egypt and Greece.

  Hence most conquests were flagged off with the sole intention of accumulating as much wealth as they could plunder upon.

  So when an entourage of Dutch mercenaries stumbled upon the temple in Thiruchendur in 17th century AD, they looted everything that they could lay their thieving hands upon, even the panchaloha (five-metal alloy) idol of Murugan, which they’d foolishly assumed of being entirely made of gold.As per the fantastic story, the priest, accompanied by a group of fishermen, did find a lemon floating in the ocean and as Murugan had proclaimed in the man’s dream, the statue was found resting at the very location in the ocean bed.

  It is the same legendary idol that now rests peacefully in the temple chambers and welcomes thousands of pilgrims and worshippers year after year.

  The Thiruchendur temple once again scripted its name in the annals of history for guarding devotees against the onslaught of the lethal Tsunami waves that quite literally washed away the shores of the Indian subcontinent in 2004.Even today, the incident continues to baffle even the best of sceptics, while believers hail Murugan for being the merciful guardian of not just his abode but the devotees as well.

  Be it greed-driven plundering or natural disasters, the Murugan temple of Thiruchendur has transcended every onslaught that had fallen on its way and continues to watch over its subjects like a solitary custodian.
  
  
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