Excursions
Thiruchendur Murugan Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Muruga Murugan and one of the Arupadaibveedu(Six_Abodes_of_Murugan) of Lord Muruga. It is located in the district of Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, on the Indian Ocean. Arid theri forests are located in various suburban villages surrounding the town. These red soil forests are densely planted with palm trees, cashew plantations, and other crops typical of the region. The Seashore temple of Muruga Peruman at Tiruchendur is one of the delightful spots sanctified and venerated by every Hindu. As one of the first spiritual centres for the salvation of man, this shrine has been an attraction for Hindus for ages. This sacred house of God is in the extreme southeast of the Indian peninsula. The rising Sun bows in adoration of it each morning, as he rises from the rippling expanse of the ocean, and spreads light and life over every living object.
Bordered by the sea on the East and the North, the temple walls on these sides are washed by the foaming waves of the Gulf of Mannar. The date of the temple is hidden in the Puranic past. The Nucleus of the structure however has been here for more than 2,000 years as the Tamil Classics inform us.
Nanguneri is a Taluk Headquarters in the District of Tirunelveli situate at a distance of 18 miles (29 km) from the headquarters of the District. The place gained importance for the location of a famous Vaishnavite temple commonly known as Totadri Mutt. The Jeer (Spiritual Head) at Vanamamalai at Nanguneri commands wide reputation over Thenkalai Vaishnavites. He exercises unfettered powers over the subordinate monasteries numbering over 200 scattered all over India.
This ancient Murugan temple is located at Vallioor, not far from Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari. It has been revered by the Tiruppukazh hymns of Arunagirinathar.
The presiding deity here is Subramaniyar, and the sanctum enshrines an image of Murugan with that of his consort Valli. The temple has a rock-cut sanctum carved out of a hill and several mandapams surrounding it. There are also shrines to Natarajar and Dakshinamūrti here. The Saravanapoikai tank is located adjacent to the hill. The diamond studded Vel held by Subramaniyar is of great beauty.
Legend has it that Indra and Agastyar worshipped Subramanyar here. Legend also has it that the Saravanapoikai tank was created when Murugan struck his spear to the ground, upon being requested by his consort.
Legend has it that this temple was first discovered by a Pandya king who came here on a hunting expedition after visiting the Perumal temple at Tirukkurunkudi and that the temple was expanded by his descendents. Vallioor was under the governance of Kulasekhara Pandyan of the 13th century, who fortified the village.
Kanya Kumari is notable for pilgrimage and tourism. The place takes its name from the goddess Devi Kanya Kumari, considered to be a sister of Krishna. Women pray to her for marriage. The goddess is believed to be the one who removes the rigidity of our mind. The temple here is a Shakti Peetha, one of the holiest shrines of the Mother goddess. Also nearby are eleven sacred theertham.[9]
The place was called Kanyashram of the Baalaambika, the deity of the temple. The ablution in sea for Pitr Tarpan is done here. This is one of the rare temples in India where Devi(Mother Goddess) is worshipped as a child. The rites and rituals are done in the Kerala Namboothiri method, so there are slight differences in the way of worship compared to the temples of the nearby region. The deity is the goddess of Sanasa,[9] so people from all over India who desire to devote their life as Sanyasin come here and take the deeksha.Swami Vivekananda came to this temple as directed by his Guru Shri Ramakrishna Prarama Hamsa, being a Sanyasin. The temple is very old and is mentioned in ancient Sanskrit literature.
The beach sands are multi-coloured and likened to a mythological story.
There is a shrine for Kalabhairava in the temple. It is said that the backbone area of Sati Devi’s corpse fell here.
The place is famous for Agastyar mala where Sage Agastya lived. He is the founder of Siddha vydya, so there is innumerable medicinal plants available here. He is also considered as the founder of Varma Kalai, a form of martial arts.
Suchindrum is a temple town situated in the southern most district of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu State, India. It is 11 km from Kanyakumari city and 7 km from Nagarcoil town 70 km from adjacent Tirunelveli district and approximately 85 km from Trivandrumcity. The town of Suchindrum is renowned for the Thanumalayan Temple and was an important citadel of Travancore.
Suchindram temple is unique in the whole of India in that it is dedicated to three different deities represented by one image in the sanctum and is called Sthanumalayan (Sthanu-Shiva; Maal-Vishnu and Ayan-Brahma) kovil. The temple is rich in sculpture and architecture and a visitor to this temple is amply rewarded with the sight of such exquisite art of hundreds of years old