Description
Located on exotic and serene seashore Thiruchendur, the Murugan Temple is one of the divine six abodes of Lord Murugan. Lord Murugan is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. This temple is located in Thiruchendur in Tamil Nadu. Its mystic charm and excellent artwork make it a temple worth visiting. Also it is one of the Arupadaiveedu connected to the Kaumaram religion. This temple is also known as Jayanthipuram. This temple not only has tourist and devotees from India but also attracts people from all over the world especially from countries like England, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia etc.
History
The saga behind the inception of the temple goes as there was a demon named Surapadma who ruled Veera Mahendrapuri. He managed to please Lord Shiva and get super powers from him after which he began to cause terror in all the three worlds. All the Gods were terrified and asked Lord Shiva to save them from Surapadma. Lord Shiva then opened his front eye and six sparks were emitted from it and these divine sparks were obtained by River Ganges through Agni and were passed on to the Himalayan Lake Sarvana Poigai. They were then converted to six babies. These six babies were nurtured by the Goddesses. Once when the Lord Shiva and Lord Parvathi came there, the mother embraced the babies with love they got joined together to become Lord Arumuga. As Lord Arumuga grew up Lord Shiva instructed him to kill Surapadma and relieve the Gods from the terror of the demon. A long battle was fought between Lord Murugan and Surapadma in Thiruchendur, after which the demon finally eradicated Surapadma. After this battle Lord Murugan decided to devote himself to his father Lord Shiva.
Importance/Significance
This temple is an extremely ancient temple and is believed to be in existence since this millennium. There are six divine abodes of Lord Murugan, among which Thiruchendur Murugan Temple is considered to be second one. This temple is also area wise one of the largest Hindu Temple complexes in India. It is considered being one of the wealthiest temples in Tamil Nadu. This temple is an excellently designed and the sculpture, the artwork and the architectural brilliance is grandeur in itself. Also the sea is very nearby and hence attracts a lot of devotees as well as tourists too.
Facts/Mythology
Most of the temples have their Raja gopuram on the Eastern direction, but as the sea is very close from the East, this temple has its Rajagopuram on the Western side. This also has magnificent nine storied gopuram and to highlight this fact there are nine kalasam (divine copper pots) at the top of the temple.
Festivals/Events/Gatherings
Tiruchendhur Murugan Temple celebrates many festivals in which lakhs of devotees visit this sacred place and become a part of the celebrations. Some of these festivals are Vaisaki Visagam during May- June, Avani Festival during August- September, Skanda Sashti Festival during October-November and Masi Festival during February –March.
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