The Arulmigu Subramanya Swami Temple, Tiruchendur is an ancient

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

dedicated to

Murugan Kartikeya (/ kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda ( /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/ sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha ( /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan (/ mʊɾʊgən/), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the ...

(Kartikeya). It is second among

six abodes of Murugan The Six Abodes of Murugan () are six temples situated in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India, dedicated to the Hinduism, Hindu deity Kartikeya, Murugan. These six sacred abodes of Murugan are mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature, in the texts ...

(''Āṟupatai vitukal'') situated in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. 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 Indi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is located in the eastern end of the town

Tiruchendur Tiruchendur (Tamil language, Tamil: ''Tiruccentūr'' �t̪iɾɯtːʃen̪d̪uːr also ''jayantipuram'') is a municipality in Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu, India. It is home to the Arulmigu Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruchendur, Arulmigu ...

in the district of

Thoothukudi Thoothukudi (formerly called Tuticorin) is a port city, port industrial city in Thoothukudi district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. The city is capital and headquarters of the di ...

. It is 40 km from

, 60 km south-east of

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (), also known as Nellai and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirunelveli District. It is the fourth-largest munici ...

and 75 km north-east of

Kanyakumari Kanyakumari (Tamil; / kəɳjɑkʊmɑɾiː/; referring to Devi Kanya Kumari, officially known as Kanniyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin) is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the ...

. The temple complex is on the shores of Bay of Bengal.

Surasamharam Surasamharam (), also called Suranporu, is a Hinduism, Hindu ritual folk performance that recreates the legend of the killing of asuras by the deity Lord Murugan, Murugan. It is the culmination of the week-long Kanda Shasthi Vratam festival. ...

, a reenactment of the victory over Surapadman, and Kanda Shasti, a devotional song in praise of Murugan are performed at the temple. The temple is the fourth Hindu temple in Tamil Nadu to get ISO certification.

Legend

Thiruchendur finds mention in the Skanda Puranam detailing the slaying of Surapadman by the god Murugan. As per Hindu legend, the demon king Surapadman, once obtained boons from the god Shiva on account of severe penance. He started ruling the world on account of the power attained. He married Padumakomalai and had several sons. Viramkendiram, a city created in the seas, became his capital and he started troubling the devas (the gods). He imprisoned Indra (the king of the gods) and also desired Indra's wife Indrani. Indra sought the help of Shiva's son and the god of war Murugan. Murugan sent his messenger Viravakutevar to the demon, who remained unmoved. A severe battle was fought in Thiruchendur where Murugan killed all the sons of the Surapadman except Iraniyan. Surapadman hid under the sea. Murugan split him into two pieces, which went on to become the god's divine vehicles, peacock and rooster. The day when Murugan slayed Surapadman is celebrated as Skanda Sashti festival in all the Murugan temples.

Vaippu Sthalam

It is one of the shrines of the

Vaippu Sthalam A ''Vaippu Sthalam'', :ta:வைப்புத் தலங்கள் also called a Tevara Vaippu Sthalam, is one of the Hindu temples in South India that is referenced in the songs in the Tevaram, hymns composed in praise of Shiva during th ...

s sung by Tamil Shaivite Nayanar

Appar Appar (), also referred to as Tirunavukkaracar () or Navukkarasar, was a seventh-century Tamil Shaiva poet-saint. Born in a peasant Shaiva family, raised as an orphan by his sister, he lived about 80 years and is generally placed sometime betwe ...

Architecture

The temple, which is built near the seashore, measures north to south, east to west, and has a nine-tier

gopuram A ''gopuram'' or ''gopura'' ( Tamil: கோபுரம், Telugu: గోపురం, Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of th ...

, or tower gate, that is high. The principal entrance faces south, and opens into the first of two

prakaram A prakaram (प्राकारः in Sanskrit), also spelled pragaram or pragaaram) in Indian architecture is an outer part around the Hindu temple sanctum. They may be enclosed or open and are typically enclosed for the innermost prakaram. ...

s, the first of which is lined with rows of yalis. The inner sanctum of the temple is in a cave and the main deity, or mulavar, is Murugan as a saintly child, portrayed in a granite carving. Nali Kinaru, a sacred well fed by a freshwater spring, is located south of the temple. Devotees undergo a ritual cleansing by bathing in water from the well after bathing in the ocean.

History

Dutch occupation of the Tiruchendur Temple

The Murugan temple at Tiruchendur was occupied by the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

from 1646 to 1648, during the course of their war with the Portuguese. The local people tried to free their temple, with no success. The Dutch finally vacated the temple on orders from the Naik ruler. However, while leaving, they removed the sculpture depicting the 2 utsava murtis (this representation of the deities comes out only during Masi and Avani Tirunal) which is made of an alloy named Shanmukhar and took it with them. During their sea voyage, they encountered a strong storm and realised their mistake of stealing the murti. They dropped it in the middle of the sea and saw the storm stop immediately. According to legend, Murugan appeared in a dream to Vadamaliyappa Pillai, an ardent devotee of Murugan, and revealed the place in the sea where the idol had been abandoned. Vadamlaiyappa Pillai in the Tiruchendur temple, went to the spot in a fishing boat and retrieved the murti in 1653. The story is shown in paintings inside the temple.

Administration

The temple is maintained and administered by the

Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu manages and controls the temple administration within the state. The Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act XXII of 1959 controls 36,425 ...

of the

Government of Tamil Nadu The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...

.Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act, 1959
/ref>

References

External links

Official --- Website
{{Vaippu sthalam Hindu temples in Thoothukudi district Thoothukudi Murugan temples in Tamil Nadu