Tag: Temples of Tamil Nadu

There are six major temples dedicated to Lord Subrahmanya, called Murugan in Tamil Nadu.

They are,

Palani,

Thiruparankundram,

Thiruchendur,

Pazhamudhir Solai,

Thiruthani and

Swamymalai.

These six temples were called thus by Saint Arunagirinathar in the fourteenth century.

I have been checking on the special temples of Murugan from Tamil Classics, Skanda Purana, Silappadikaram, one of the Five Epics of Tamil from Sangam age and Thirumurugatrupadai by Nakkeerar , the earliest hymn on Murugan in Tamil.

I also checked with ancient Tamil Land Lemuria and Mu.

The landmass was different then.

Please check my articles on Lemuria, Mu, Rodina, Pangea, Sundaland.

Now Murugan is considered to be the personification of Tamil language which was founded by Lord Shiva and Sage Agastya.

Murugan was also involved.

When we look at the location of the six abodes of Murugan, ஆறுபடை வீடு, we find that none of them seem to fit perfectly with the landmass associated with Murugan.

Murugan is described as the God of Mountains and adjoining lands called Kurinji in Tamil, குறிஞ்சி.

Thiruchendur is on the seashore.

Palani, Thiruthani, Swamymalai and Thiruparankundram are small hills.

Pazhamudhir Solai is a forest.

So, going by Sangam definition I checked.

I have found that Kumaran Kovil near Thackalay in Kanyakumari district seems to fit one of the major temples of Murugan.

IT is in the Western Ghats, down deep south in agreement with ancient landmass and Lankan chronicles call Murugan as Kattrama and Valli the consort of Murugan.

And Thiruveragam, the old name seems to fit Velimalai in Kumaran Koil.

So it looks as though Swamymalai is not Thiruveragam.

And Thiruthani is not where Murugan married Valli.

‘Tiruttani constitutes one of the six Padai Veedu shrines of Skanda (Lord Subramanya), and it represents the site where Subramanya stayed after destroying the demon Surapadman. Tiruttani is said to be the place where the Lord Subramanya married Valli – one of his two consorts.‘

http://murugan.org/temples/tiruttani.htm

‘Here is the famous Subrahmanya (Muruga ) Temple by the name of “Velimalai Kumaraswamy Temple’. The temple was built on a hill named ‘Velimalai’. The name “Veli” was named from the malayalam word “veli” means marriage.It is the place where marriage of Murugan and Valli was done. Koravans used to come to the temple for marriage of valli ,since valli devi belongs to koravan community.Lord Muruga and his consort Goddess Valli are the main deities. It is believed that they married here. It is built on a rocky terrain about 200 feet in height.…
The rock cut temple with stone carvings is a splendid structure. A large water body is seen in the surrounding. Majority of the devotees are from Kerala state. A police party and band from Kerala state is present on certain celebrations of this grand temple. Many children get their first feed (choor\Oonu kodupu) in this temple. There is a shed for holy animals- cow, bull, peacock in the temple courtyard. Kuramakoil is one of the holiest places for Hindus. It is about 34 kilometers from Kanyakumari and around 50 km from Trivandrum airport.…

Kumarakoil is one of the important and renowned among the Murugan temples in the district of Kanyakumari Tamil Nadu. It is located near Thuckalay, 15 km from Nagercoil. Kumara Koil, also called “Kumara Shethram” and “Subramania Sthala” in Malayalam language, and “Thiruveragam” in ancient Tamil scripts is at the foot hills of the Velimalai Hills also known as “Velvi Malai”, and Merkada malai means the southern end of the western ghats. Prior to 1950, Kanyakumari District was first with Chera Kingdom (Chera Nadu) and later with Trivancore samasthanam (province) and then with present-day Kerala State. During Tamil Sangam period, Kumara Koil was known as Thiruveragam as evidenced from Thirumurugattupadai, the sangam literature written by poet Nakkeerar. The name of the temple has changed since Tamil Sangam period, under the successive rulers of the area. Thus, Kumara koil is also known as Thiruveragam (Thiru Earagam), Malai Nattu Oru Thiruppathi, Subramania Sthala, Kumara Shethra etc.

The temple is built on the foot hills of Veli Malai where, according to legends, Lord Muruga enacted a drama to win the heart of Valli the divine child found in the hillock by Nambi Arasan, a chieftain ruled over the place with Thirukurangudi (Valliyoor) as his capital. The temple faces east and can be reached by a flight of thirty eight steps. Beyond the comparatively small but beautiful rajagopuram, Veerabagu and Veeramagendra stand guard of the Lord. The statue of Muruga in the Moolasthanam is in standing posture…..

In the history of the temple written by Shri Annalar Adigal, it is stated that, the present day Kerala was known as Malay Nadu(Sandalwood Country-Malay in sanskrit means sandalwood)aka MalayAlaya ( Abode of Sandalwood). The present day Veli malai was known as Velvi malai. Before that it was known as Merkadamalai, means last part of the western ghats. As an evidence, he refers to a stone carving found in Thirunanthikarai, about ten miles from Kumarakoil wherein it reads ‘Rajaathitha Thevan Perumpadai Nayagar Malai Nattu Nanthikarai Puthur’ and another stone carving found at Thiruvithangode, reads “Malaimandalathu Ravivarmaraya Kulasekaraperuman peruntheruvil chetti Velayuthaperuman” These evidences conform to the assertion of Nachinarkiniyar that Earagam is Malai Nattu Oru Thirupathi…
Velimalai is the southern tip of western ghats and Kumarakoil is in the foothills of Velimalai There are ample evidence to show Kumarakoil is the Earagam referred to in Silappadikaram.

Prof. N.K. Mangala Murugesan in his book “Muruganin Arupadai veedugal” write, As per Thirumurugattupadai, in Earagthu Murugan temple, the Brahmins who observed a bharamacharya viradha for forty eight years sang veda mantras and the Aruchagas wearing wet lower garments and saying the six letter manthra (ohm saravanabhava) performed archanas. This practice is in vogue in Kumara shetram even now. On this basis, Earagam is Kumara shethram or Subramania Sthala besides the western ghats.

The Tamil epic “Silappathykaram” written by Illangovadigal refers four shetras (temples) as Padai veedu of Lord Muruga. Silappathikaram Vanji Kandam refers to,-“seerkezhu Senthilum, Sengodum, Venkuntum, Eragamum Neenga Eraivankai Vel …..” These are perhaps Thruchendur, Palani, Thirupparankuntam, Kumarakoil (Thiruveragam) situate in present-day Madurai, Thoothukudi and Kanyakumari Districts. Some say that venguntu is Swamimalai. How it could be that scholars like Elangovadigal omit the place at which murugan married Deivanai, that too very near to the city of Madurai which is the theme centre of Silappathikaram. After burning Madurai, Kannagi went alongside Vaigai river and reached Western ghats. There, the people saw Kannagi and enquired about her. They exclaimed that you are like our Valli, but you are in distress. Who are you? Mangala Devi Koil dedicated to Kannagi by the Madurai King Cheran Chenguttuvan is in the Mangaladevi mountains alongside Periyaru river. This enhance the belief that Valli was brought up in western ghats.

Nachinarkuenier who had written meaning (arumpathavurai) for the poetry Thirumurugattupadai asserted that Earagam is ‘Malai Nattu Oru Thiruppathi’. Malai Nadu means Cheralam now known as Kerala. Veli Malai was part of Travancore Samasthanam in olden days. The place was part of Cherala Nadu when Silapathigaram was written. After Independence too this place was part of the present Kerala State. After a prolonged agitation under the leadership of great leaders like Nesamani Nadar, Ponnappa Nadar etc., the taluks of Thovalai, Agastheeswaram, Kalkulam, Vilavancode, and half of Neyyatinkarai were ceded to Tamil Nadu. In the intermittent period, when Earagam was with Cheralam, the scholars like Arunagirinathar ( 15th century) a staunch devotee of Lord Muruga was probably interested in creating one of the padai veedu in the vicinity of Kumbakonam, one of the temple cities in Tamil Nadu. In the belief that the people of Tamil Nadu had lost track of Thiruveragam, one of the Padai Veedu referred to in ancient scriptures, he had written that Earagam is Swami Malai, without considering the fact that Illangovadigal, lived thousands of years before him had written that Earagam is in Chera Nadu. Swami malai is in erstwhile Chola Nadu. The temple dedicated to Lord Muruga there is in the top of a man made hillock and the existing landmarks and practice referred to about Earagam in Thirumurugattupadai is lacking there.

Reference and Citation.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumarakovil