Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Thiruchendur Murugan Temple – Nazhi Kinaru

Thiruchendur Murugan Temple – Nazhi Kinaru
About 200 yards south of this temple, at the seashore, there is a rare natural phenomenon inside a square. It is a well 14 sq. feet in area and with a flight of 34 steps. Inside this well, there is another small well, one square foot in extent and seven feet deep. The water in the smaller well is crystal clear and sweet to taste whereas that in the bigger well is highly sulphurous in smell and brackish.

It is said that when Shanmukha troops returned to the shore after vanquishing Surapadman at Mahendragiri, they felt thirsty and wanted fresh water. To quench their thirst, Shanmukha planted his Vel on this spot and caused fresh water to gush out.
Almost imbedded in a rolling high sand dune, and about 200 yards to the south of the Shanmukha Vilasa on the sea beach, lies this remarkable spring known as 'Skanda-Pushkarani' - the Nazhi Kinaru. It is a natural phenomenon.

One is a remarkable spring of fresh crystal water almost in a stone receptacle known as Nazhi Kinaru. It is a foot square and about 7 feet deep and inset within the larger major well referred to. The latter is one of saltish and highly sulphurous smelling and muddy-looking water. This swells up during the day and pumped out daily so as not to allow it to over-flow into the smaller one.
Where from do these two distinct supplies of water with different tastes spring and how they are kept separate are a mystery and a problem for the geologists to solve. A bath in the sea as well in these two waters is considered to be of much spiritual merit. The Nazhi Kinaru swells up and maintains its level in spite of bailing out any quantity of water as the worshippers bathe out of it.

Nazhi Kinaru is said to have sprung up as Shanmukha planted his lance the Vel on the spot. The demons Surapadma and Tarakasuran had enslaved the Devas after attaining divine boons. People were tortured by the regime of Tarakasuran in the North and Surapadma in the South. After the annihilation of Tarakasuran in the North, Lord Muruga came down to South at the request of the Devas to exterminate Surapadma. Celestial King Indra was the peacock, Lord Murugan’s mount.

Lord Murugan’s intense battle with Surapadma went on for five days. Surapadman brothers and his army were wiped out. On the sixth day Surapadman came to the battlefield all alone. He fought with Lord Muruga with all his might. But he could do nothing against the might of Lord Muruga. At the end, he lurked in his palace under the sea.
He emerged as a huge mango tree and confronted Lord Kartikeya. But the mighty spear of Kartikeya-Murugan split the tree in two. A part of it turned into a rooster and the other into a peacock. Lord Murugan accepted the peacock as his ride and let the rooster adorn his staff. Only after this he is seen with peacock and a rooster on his staff.

To quench the thirst of his war-weary warriors, Lord Muruga thrust his lance into the ground bringing out water and forming a well, called Naazhi Kinaru. The square well with the circumference of 14 feet square has a small well within it. The water in the larger well is brackish and salty in contrast to the smaller one with one foot square in extent which contains crystal clear sweet water. These two wells, despite their proximity, give two completely different tastes which is indeed a divine miracle.