Sikkal Singara Velar Temple is one of the most popular

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

temples dedicated to

Lord Muruga Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

and a contender for the unofficial seventh Padaiveedu of Muruga, along with the popular Arupadaiveedu (six abodes of Lord Muruga). It is one of the rare traditional Hindu temples that has both

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

and

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

deities in the same complex.

Location

The temple is located in the village of Sikkal, near

Nagapattinam Nagapattinam (''nākappaṭṭinam'', previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam District. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

,India. It is 5 kilometers in the West from

and 18 kilometers in the East from

Thiruvarur Thiruvarur () also spelt as Tiruvarur is a town and municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Thiruvarur district and Thiruvarur taluk. The temple chariot of the Thyagaraja temple, weighing and mea ...

on the way to Nagapatptinam.

Sikkal Navaneetheswarar Temple

Sikkal Navaneetheswarar Temple Sikkal Navaneetheswarar Temple is a Hindu temple located at Sikkal in Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu, India.Kamadenu Kamadhenu ( sa, कामधेनु, , ), also known as Surabhi (, or , ), is a divine bovine-goddess described in Hinduism as the mother of all cows. She is a miraculous cow of plenty who provides her owner whatever he desires and is often ...

lives here. Once upon a time,

Kamadenu Kamadhenu ( sa, कामधेनु, , ), also known as Surabhi (, or , ), is a divine bovine-goddess described in Hinduism as the mother of all cows. She is a miraculous cow of plenty who provides her owner whatever he desires and is often ...

was cursed by lord

, when it ate meat. Later feeling guilty of its action, it got rid of its sin by taking bath in the holy water point of this temple and worshiped here, as told by Lord Shiva. After getting rid of the sin, Kamadenu offered its milk which later became ''Parkulam'' (literal meaning ''the milk pond''), which is located behind the temple. It is this holy water point (''The Parkulam'') of the temple where

Vashistha Vasishtha ( sa, वसिष्ठ, IAST: ') is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vashistha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vashishtha an ...

Maharishi performed a pooja here, by making a

lingam A lingam ( sa, लिङ्ग , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary ''murti'' or devotional im ...

with the butter from the ''Parkulam''. After completing the pooja he tried to move that lingam, but it stuck to that place, and never moved. As a result, Vasista Maharishi regarded this place as sikkal. It is also said that Lord Murugan had got his

Vel Vel ( ta, வேல், lit=Vēl) is a divine javelin or spear associated with Murugan, the Hindu god of war. Significance According to Shaiva tradition, the goddess Parvati presented the Vel to her son Murugan, as an embodiment of her shakti, ...

(weapon) from his divine mother at Sikkal, to kill the

asura Asuras (Sanskrit: असुर) are a class of beings in Indian religions, Indic religions. They are described as power-seeking clans related to the more benevolent Deva (Hinduism), Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhism, Buddhi ...

, Soorapadman in Sri Lanka. He performed ''Soora Samharam'' (literal meaning: killing Soorapadman) by setting up the base camp in

Thiruchendur Tiruchendur is a municipality located in Thoothukudi District, Tamil Nadu, India. It is home to the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple, which is one of the Six Abodes of Murugan. Etymology Tiruchendur, a temple town like many towns in the st ...

Festivals

The most important festival is ''Soora Samharam'' associated with Lord Muruga getting the weapon

from his divine mother,

Parvathi Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi in ...

to destroy the demon king, Soorapadman. During this time, it is believed by the devotees that the idol sweats and a major event is conducted. A Hindu deity sculpture

References

External links

*
Official Website
*http://nagapattinam.nic.in/sikkal.html *http://www.hindubooks.org/temples/tamilnadu/sikkal/index.htm *http://www.indiantemples.com/Tamilnadu/m029.html *http://www.murugan.org/temples/sikkal.htm
Tamilnadu tourism page
{{Murugan temples Murugan temples in Tamil Nadu Abhimana temples of Vishnu Shiva temples in Nagapattinam district Vishnu temples in Nagapattinam district