KUMARAN KOIL

KUMARAN KOIL

‘Wherever there is a hill, there is an abode for Lord Murugan.’ True to this saying, there is a beautiful temple for Lord Murugan at the foothill of Velimalai, on the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, fifteen kilometers northwest of Nagercoil on the road to Thiruvananthapuram, bordering the town of Padmanabhapuram.

Set in scenic surroundings, the temple is renowned among all the Murugan temples in Kanyakumari District. There are many versions as to how the hill derived its name veli malai. Vel was the surname for the Ay rulers. The Ay kingdom was a medieval Hindu feudal kingdom on the Malabar coast of South India. The hill that belonged to the Ay rulers came to be called as Velimalai. It is also known as Velvi Malai since Lord Murugan performed a yagna of sublime love, for the purpose of union of jivatma with Paramatma.

Kumarakovil is also known as Kumara Kshetram and Subrahmanya Sthala in Malayalam. The early Tamil epic Cilappatikkaram refers to the temple as Chera Nattu Aeragam.

Kumarakovil is a very ancient temple, as attested by the massive sculpture of Lord Murugan in a style dating from the Buddhist period. Buddhism probably flourished from 650-850 CE in Kerala. However, the available inscriptions about the temple date from from the 18th century CE only.

The temple is accessed through a flight of forty steep steps. Lord Murugan graces the devotees with His consort Valli. He is faces the east and said to be facing Sthanumalayan (Lord Siva) of Suchindram. The idol of Lord Murugan is a monolithic sculpture measuring eight feet and eight inches in height. Its long ears indicate that it belongs to the Buddhist period. Goddess Valli who adorns the sanctum is six and a half feet tall. Nandipadam and Murugan Padam on the top of the hill are believed to be the imprints of Nandi and Murugan.

Kalyana Vinayakar, who aided His brother in His marriage with Valli is in the right side of the entrance to the inner circumambulatory path. On the western circumambulatory path there is a shrine for Kasi Lingam and on the southern circumambulatory path there are shrines for Mahadevar, Sivakami and Chadikeswarar. The unique feature of this temple is that there is a shrine for Daksha, the maternal grandfather of Lord Murugan.

The sacred tree of the temple is a venerated vengai tree that is a hundred years old. Here, Arumuga Nayinar (Lord Murugan) is flanked by both His consorts, Valli and Deivayanai. This temple is associated with the legends of Valli’s marriage with Murugan. This is said to be the birth place of Valli.

Valli guhai is on the top of the hill which is two kilometers off the main temple, Valli sunai, a pond where Valli took bath, Valli colai, the millet field that Valli guarded, and kizhavan colai is where Murugan came in the disguise of an old man to woo Valli. The protocol of worship offered here is Kerala Tantram.

Celestial Wedding
The divine wedding of Valli and Murugan is celebrated with great fervor in the Tamil month of Panguni (March-April) and is attended by thousands of pilgrims all over the state. Kuravar Patukalam, the war waged by Valli’s relatives against Murugan, is colourfully re-enacted during the divine wedding. The seven-day festival begins in the star of Anuradha in the month of Panguni. On the day of the wedding Manavalakkumaran (processional deity) seated in a palanquin proceeds towards Tiru Kalyana Mandapam which is at a distance of two kilometers from the temple. After the celestial wedding the deities are taken in procession back to the temple.

En route we witness the ceremonial Kuravar patukalam. Kuravas (tribal folk of the hill) wage a war against Lord Murugan in line with the legend associated with Murugan and Valli’s marriage. When the wedded couple reaches the rear entrance of the temple, Kuravas surrender to Lord Murugan and happily consent to the marriage. Then Lord Murugan is propitiated with abhishekam and deeparadhanai and a formal wedding is celebrated at night in the decorated temple mandapam bedecked with flowers. During the marriage, Valli colai, Vatta colai, Kizavan colai...etc are given as gifts to Lord Murugan from the bride’s side. This gift list is read aloud in the assembly. Kum-kum, honey and millet flour are given as prasadam after the divine wedding.

Festivities

Kanda Sashti, Vaikasi Visakam and Thaipusam are the other festivals celebrated here. About two hundred years ago a severe draught affected this area, so the erstwhile Maharaja of Travancore ordained his security guards to offer kavadi worship to Kumaraswami. Lord Murugan answered their prayers and prosperity restored in the region. To this day, the police offer kavadi worship to Kumaraswami on the last Friday of the Tamil month of Karttikai.

Nakkeerar’s Tirumurugatruppadai mentions about the unique worship offered to Kumaraswamy. Devotees cover the lower part of their body with wet clothes and enter the temple with flowers to have darshan of Lord Murugan. This unique worship continues till date. The gruel offered in this temple as prasadam is believed to be a cure for many diseases. Other prayer commitments are milk abishekam, sandal kaappu and tonsure

Kumaran Koyil Kalambagam and Kumara Koyil Pillaith Thamizh sing the glory of Kumaraswamy. During Navarathri festival Velimalai Kumaran on a decorated silver horse is taken to Tiruvananthapuram along with Padmanabapuram Saraswati and Suchindram Munnoottinanka (Goddess Shakti). After Navaratri the idols are escorted back to the temple.

Since Murugan married the tribal girl Valli here, marriages performed here are considered very auspicious. Velimalai Kumaraswami Temple, packed with natural beauty and divinity, is a place everyone must visit at least once in their lifetime.

Description:
This ancient temple to Murugan known as Kumaran Koyil is located at Padmanabhapuram, home to the palace of the erstwhile Maharaja, on the slopes of the Veli hills. It is located in a commanding position, visible for miles around.

Legend has it that Murugan married Valli here and hence the name Velimalai, Manamalai or Kalyanamala.

Deities:
The main deities worshipped here are Subramanyar and Valli. A majestic ten feet high image of Subramanyar of great workmanship adorns the sanctum. The festival image of Murugan here is Manavaala Kumaran and this image is taken in procession every year during Navaratri to Thiruvananthapuram, along with Saraswati and Bhagavati from the Padmanabapuram Palace. Manavaalakumaran is also taken in procession to take part in the annual festival of the Suchindram temple.

Festivals:

Kerala Tantram is a protocol of worship offered in this temple along the lines of most other temples in Kanyakumari district. Fridays, especially the last fridays of every tamil month are considered to be very sacred here. The Kanji which is distributed here on fridays as prasadam is believed to have miraculous healing properties.

Murugan's and Valli's marriage is celebrated with great splendor in the month of panguni. This Tirukkalyanam is an enactment of the divine wedding and is attended by thousands of pilgrims from allover the state.

The seven-day festival begin in the star of Anuradha in the month of Panguni. Vaikasi Visakam is celebrated for ten days and as in other Murugan temples Skanda Sasti is celebrated for six days.

Pushpabishekam is celebrated on the last Friday in the month of aavani when the image of Kumaran is completely covered with hundreds of baskets of flowers contributed by the congregating pilgrims.

Just one kilometre from Kumarakoil Temple on the same mountain road one finds Ramji Ashram.

Pullamangai temple

The sculptures at Pullamangai temple speak volumes of artistry during the Chola reign

Pullamangai, a temple dedicated to Lord Siva, located near Pasupathikoil in Papanasam Taluk near Kumbakonam, is an architectural marvel. A series of icons here depict scenes from the Ramayana. One such is the 6” x 6” square where a touching scene is sculpted - the deceased Vali surrounded by other grieving vanaras after he is hit by Rama. The stone surface is somewhat rough, but that does not affect the profoundness of the relief. There are several such squares which show scenes from the Epics and Puranas and each one has a stunning appeal. The trip came about when the principal of the College of Fine Arts suggested that we visit the Pullamangai temple. It may have a simple and uninspiring façade, but each piece inside is a visual treat. Every little space is filled with carvings the largest not more than four ft tall and many of them are not carved from a single block of stone. But the blocks have been piled up so neatly that the outlines of the sculptures are perfectly aligned.

The temple is believed to have been built during the reign of Parantaka Chola-I (907-953 AD). Those days, it was the practice to remodel old brick temples suing granite. Even frequent wars did not deter such religious activities. The Saivite saint Thirugnana Sambandar has sung verses on many Siva temples in this region, including this one. It is said that his hymns on Thiruvalanthurai Mahadeva temple at Pullamangai could refer to this temple if one were to go by epigraphic evidences.

Situated on the banks of Kudamuruti river, the temple was also referred to as Alandurai. The sthalapuranam says Lord Siva rested here after he had consumed the poison following the churning the paarkadal. Another version states that Goddess Parvati worshipped the Lord here in the form of a chakravaka bird, and hence it is known as Pullamangai. The shrine is considered as one of the best examples of architecture from the Parantaka Chola period. The present condition of the temple may defy that opinion, though!

The high relief sculptures such as the lingodhbavar, Lord Siva seated on the snake or the standing female form on the tower, all have a smooth finish. But those made up of more than one block of stone on the vimanam or in the small panels appear rather rough. It could either be due to the ravages of time or they might have been left untouched in the beginning for some valid reason. Nevertheless, great care had been taken to include details in every scene, be it a dancing Siva, Rama taking an aim with an arrow or a relaxed Siva.. The dancing figures and the Mahishasuramardhini sculpture emanate grace. In one panel Siva is seated with His right leg crossed over the left, both turned towards His left, while his torso faces straight, His right arm is seen resting on a cushion.

Every sculpture is a reminder of the superb craftsmanship of artisans of those times. Indeed, we must celebrate those unknown artists who have sculpted each piece with such precision and style.
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Othi Malai Aandavar Temple

Othi Malai Aandavar Temple

Location: Punjai Puliam Patti, Sathyamangalam(Tk), Erode(Dt).

The temple has 2000 steps

Specialty of the Temple: Lord Muruga having “Eight (8)” hands and “Five (5)” faces. It's so nice place and a loveable atmosphere.

PRANAVA MALAI TEMPLE

PRANAVA MALAI

It dates back to the times of Pallavas and Tirupporur is known by different names like Poriyur or Yuddhapuri or Samarapuri. There are many legends related to Tirupporur and one of them relates to Lord Shiva relieving Lord Vishnu and his consort Lakshmi from the curse of Kanva rishi. This Lord Shiva and his son Murugan are worshipped here. According to the Sthalapurana, it was here that Lord Murugan with his consorts Valli and Devayanai granted protection to the demi-gods and explained the true meaning of Pranava or the real truth to them and Agastya Muni. Thus, the hill behind the temple is known as 'PRANAVA MALAI ', where Lord Vishnu is said to have worshipped Lord Shiva. Legend also has it that Skanda worshipped Shiva as Vanmeekeswara to rid himself of the sin of having killed Soorapadman.

Tirupporur got lost into oblivion until it was rediscovered in the 17th century and was renovated by Chidambara Swamigal. The idol of Lord Murugan is said to be the 'Swayambhu Murti', (not made by the hands of a man) and was found by Chidambara Swamigalin in an anthill. The temple enshrines Skanda in several forms based on the legends of Skanda Puranam. To the east of the temple the the 'Palmyra' tree and the anthill where the image of Skanda was found can be seen. The anthill is now covered with Kavacha (armor) and other jewels. The other things enclosed in the temple premises are a 24-pillared hall, a 30-pillared circular hall, a shrine to 'Vembadi Vinayaka' under a Neem tree

Stala Theerthams : 'Saravana Poigai' and 'Valliyar Odai' to the south of the temple, and another Teertham known as 'Pranavamritam'.

Location : Tirupporur is 45 km from Chennai

Yamunotri Temple

Yamunotri Temple

Yamunotri temple was built in the 19th century in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand and was damaged and rebuilt twice due to the damages inflicted by the natural disasters. Dedicated to Yamuna River, which is the second holiest river of India, the temple also forms the part of the four Chota Char Dham sites.

Located at the height of 3291 meters, the shrine of Mother Yamuna holds the idol of Goddess, which is built in black marble. The temple opens up on the day of Akshaya Tritiya and closes on the day after Diwali. Mother Yamuna spends the winter at a nearby village known as village Kharsali. The area around the Yamunotri temple doesn’t have any motorable roads, so it has to be reached by trekking for a few kilometers. The surroundings of the Yamunotri temple have many hot water springs to the delight of the visiting pilgrims.

Renukaji temple, Himachal Pradesh

Renukaji temple, Himachal Pradesh

The Renuka Lake or Temple (672 m) is regarded as the embodiment of Renukaji, the wife of the sage Jamadagini and the mother of Parshurama – one of the ten `Avatars` of Lord Vishnu. Shaped like the profile of a woman, the lake has the circumference of 2.5 km and is the largest in Himachal.

Legends about Renuka Temple

There are a number of legends and stories associated with this temple. One of them states that Rishi Jamdagni disappointed with his wife asked his son Parshuram to kill her. Parshuram carried out the Rishi's orders but requested him to grant life to his mother. As per another legend, Sahasarjuna wanted to kidnap Renuka. To save herself, she jumped into this lake and the gods saved her. Since then, this lake became an embodiment of Renuka and is named after her.

Ambika Temple, Baripada, Orissa

Ambika Temple, Baripada, Orissa

Ambika Temple, one of the most ancient temples in Baripada of Orissa, located at about 55 Kilometre from the district. It is dedicated to the Goddess Ambika. Ambika Devi is a Jain Yaksi who is a dedicated attendant of Lord Neminath. She is regarded as the patron deity of material prosperity, childbirth and protection of women.

A reservoir named as Devkund or Deokund is situated just near the temple. This Kund is famous for the healing powers for human beings. The local believes it as bliss of god, while the geologists call it as this area is rich in mineral resources. It controls the 50 feet high waterfall and is situated near the temple.